You Got It Bad
by lita rocks LbC
Summary: Crashing into Sam is probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'm so glad she's in my life.. she's helped me change for the better. Sam/OC. Carly/OC. major OC storyline. Rated for violence, language, adult situations. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything relating to iCarly. All the characters you recognize aren't mine, even though I wish they were. I just own Amanda/Shorty and any other characters that you don't recognize xD.**

**A/N: this is rated T for girl/girl relationships, cussing, gang related things, and violence that'll probably happen in future chapters .. so if you don't like things like that then push the back button riiiiiiiiiiiight now )**

**CHAPTER 1**

"Shorty! What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were home schooled or some shit?"

I jumped at the outburst of my nickname. When I turned around I saw my friend Jonah all up in my personal space.

"Damn man," I said shoving his chest lightly, "you needa step back! I needa breathe, aight?! Anyways, imma start comin' here now. I was sick of being home schooled. Bein' home everyday isn't as cracked up as it's supposed to be."

After hearing my news Jonahs expression turned from shocked to serious in an instant. "What?! No way! You can't come here!"

"Okay... and why the hell can't I come here?!" I asked, suddenly angry at the guy standing right in front of me. "You've always wanted me to go to school with you since the eighth grade! What's the deal, cuhz?"

"B-because stupid!" Jonah started off stuttering. "You're gonna snatch all the girls away from me!" At this point my anger washed away. I stood there for a minute, looking at this idiot with a blank expression Then I started bursting out in laughter. "WHAT THE FUCK, SHORTY?! Why are you laughin' for Miss. 'I'm gonna steal every girls heart in this damn school!'" At that I laughed even harder, clutching my sides, doubling over, and using the lockers to help keep me up. I was drawing attention from a few by-standers.

"Dude, seriously? You're scared imma steal every girl?" I asked after my laughing subsided. "Have you forgotten that I'm happily taken by the most beautiful girl in the whole wide milky way?" Which is true, my baby IS the beautifulest of all the beautiful girls out there. Kinda like Jessica Alba, but even cuter. What? You don't believe me?! That's only cuz you haven't seen her before, but I swear, if and when you see her... you'd, oh my gosh, drool all over her! (_Okay, maybe I'm over exaggerating... but this is my story! So leave me alone_)

"Oh yeah, that's right," Jonah said. "Damn, you guys have been together for along time! How long's it been?"

I smiled at that. "It's been two wonderful years, ya big ol' dummy. So don't worry 'bout me 'stealing' all the girls, my dude," I slightly emphasized the stealing part.

"So! Even if you have a hottie for a girlfriend, your ass would still flirt and capture all the girls hearts! Don't make me remind you of-"

"Aight! I get it!" I said, cutting Jonah off before he could finish that sentence. "There are some things better off forgotten, asshole. I shuddered at the memory. "Cuz of that stupid shit I almost lost her man."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, I won't bring that up again," Jonah said with a look of empathy on his face. "C'mon, where's your next class? I'll take you there." I took my folded schedule out of my back pocket and handed it to him. After he unfolded and examined the schedule he said that we had first, second, and fifth period together. He handed my schedule back to me and I carelessly folded it up, shoving it back into my pocket.

As we walked to first period together I saw a tall skinny kid with curly, afro-like brown hair. When I looked a little harder it was my friend Rodney. "RIP-OFF, my man! What's good, my dude?" I asked approaching him.

"Shorty?" He asked surprised. "SHORTY!" He exclaimed as I stood in front of him with my arms wide open, gesturing for a hug. "What the hell you doin' here? I thought you were dead or somethin'?" he said as he gave me a hug.

"Haha, naw. I've just been hiding from you man," I said as I pulled away from his embrace. "Your face scares me and gives me nightmares." I pulled further away as his hand swung towards my head. "JEEZ! Don't have to get butt hurt, I was just kidding. Your face doesn't give me nightmares, but it does scare me!"

I turned to run away. Instead of making a clean escape, as I had planned, I bumped into a small, soft figure. We both went down, but on instinct I grabbed onto the figure and made a full turn so I was the one that hit the ground first. I had the wind knocked out of me as the figure landed on my stomach.

When I finally got my breathing back to normal, I opened my eyes and looked into the bluest eyes I've ever seen. It was filled with concern. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming my way." The shockingly blue eyed beauty said to me. "Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine," I replied, still looking into her eyes, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, looking away from my eyes. "Do you think you could let go of me now?"

"Oh shit, sorry!" I said as I let my arms fall away from her waist. When she got off of me I sat up. When I looked behind me I saw Jonah and Rodney laughing like there was no tomorrow. "Aye! Shut up, stupids! When I get up you guys better run like your life depended on it." With that they stopped laughing instantly and walked towards me. Jonah held out his right arm and Rodney held out his left. I grabbed both their hands in a firm grip and they pulled me up.

"Damn Shorty, I swear you gained a few pounds," Rodney stated as I finally got on my feet.

"Yeah, it took both of us to get you up!" Jonah joined in. "You need to lay off the chicken and beer."

"Ha-ha very funny," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Ya won't be crackin' jokes anytime soon if ya keep it up," I threatened. The look of pure horror on their faces made me smirk. '_Yeah, that's what I thought... stupid boys think they can mess with m_e.' I thought to myself.

"Uhhh, excuse me?" I turned around and spotted the girl I had practically ran over. I took in her features. She was kind of cute, with curly blond hair that stopped just below her breasts. She was a couple inches taller than me, probably five-two or so. Yeah I know, if shes five-two and I'm a couple inches shorter than her, then, I'm short. Anyways, when I looked at her face, the first thing I noticed were her blue eyes.

"Yeah, wassup?" I asked, still staring into her eyes. It had me hypnotized or something, cuz I couldn't look away. '_Damn, I could look in these eyes forever. What?! No! Shorty, snap out of it! You have a girlfriend, remember?_' I thought to myself.

"SHORTY!" I jumped, suddenly coming out of my trance.

"What?!" I said, directing an angry glare at Jonah.

"Dude! What the hell," he started. "You just totally zoned out while she was talking to you! She's been standing there for like two minutes while you completely ignored her."

I felt a blush creeping its way to my cheeks as that sudden realization hit me. When I looked back at the girl she had an amused look on her face. I blushed even harder.

"Err... I'm sorry for zonin' out on you," I stammered. "I... uhhh... I was kinda lost in your eyes." I told her bluntly. When I told her this her amused expression turned into a surprised one, with a hint of blushing. I unsuccessfully tried to hide a smirk as my confidence came back.

"Damn it, Shorty. What did I tell you about your flirting?" Jonah asked me. "You do know who you're flirting with, right?"

"You stated that you were scared of my flirting, cuz I'll take all the girls, that you've never had and never will have, away from you." I replied to the first question. "and no, I don't know who I'm flirting with." I said returning my attention back to the blue eyes. "I have a feeling I'd like to know who you are though." Her blush got deeper; my smirk got wider.

"Well I'll tell you who she is," Jonah said as he stood in between us. "This is Sam Puckett, my ex-girlfriend." He said straining the ex part. She extended her right hand.

"Wassup Sam," I said as I shook her hand. "My real names Amanda, but you can call me Shorty. Either is coo' with me."

"You should remember either one, I'm sure you'll be screaming it out later in the future." I shot Rodney a death glare behind me, where he was leaning against the lockers. "JUST KIDDING!" he practically squealed, shooting his arms up as if he was surrendering, once my eyes landed on him. At his sudden movement, several burritos fell out of his jacket. I just stared at him in disbelief.

When I looked back at Sam her face was blank, but her eyes showed how entertained she was. I was just about to tell her to ignore Jonah and Rodney when the bell rang.

"Well, Amanda, it was uhhh... interesting to meet you," Sam said. "I guess I'll see you around."

She gave me a smile.

Stunned by her smile I said, "Yeah, around. I'll see you."

As she turned around to walk away, I swear I saw her smile get a little wider.

"Oh... My... God! You're such a whore, Shorty!" Rodney said as he stepped closer towards me, draping an arm around my shoulders. "You'd flirt with every girl if you could, wouldn't you?" he asked.

"No way man! Not every girl... just the cute ones." I replied. "and I'm not a whore! I just flirt a lil' too much." I said staring as I watched her walk further away.

I watcher her until she met up with two other people. One of them was a boy with a weird shaped head and the other was a tall, elegant looking girl. A **cute** tall, elegant looking girl.

'_This is gonna be an interesting year_.' I thought to myself as I said bye to Rodney and followed Jonah to first period.

**A/N: So tell me what you think. Have any idears? I'm down for any suggestions on where this story should go. Reviews would be nice, but I'm not really expecting it... unless you wanna totally ruin my expectations.. I'M FINE WITH THAT xD**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything relating to iCarly. All the characters you recognize aren't mine, even though I wish they were. I just own Amanda/Shorty and any other characters that you don't recognize xD.**

**A/N: this chapter is rated M for girl/girl relationships, cussing, gang related things, and violence .. so if you don't like things like that then push the back button riiiiiiiiiiiight now )**

**CHAPTER 2**

First period, U.S. History, was uneventful and boring. The teacher, Mr. Galloway, had one of those boring old people voices. I wanted to die within the first five minutes of class. I pretty much zoned him out after he took roll and added me to his attendance sheet. I was grateful he didn't ask me any questions about where I came from and all that.

I took a seat next to Jonah and we were basically whispering things back and forth to eachother whenever Galloways back was turned. We even played tic-tac-toe and connect the dots. 50 minutes later the bell rang, and I practically ran out of the classroom with Jonah right behind me.

"Dude, that teacher was BORING!" I complained to Jonah. "Why didn't you warn me about him?"

"Uhhhh, cuz I wanted you to suffer?" He replied.

"You look like you wanna suffer a black eye," I playfully threatened him. "Now where's the restroom? I feel like I needa splash my face with cold water to wake myself up."

I followed him as he lead me down the hall. After a minute we stopped in front of the girls restroom. "I'll wait for you out here." Jonah said.

"No really? I wanted you to come into the girls restroom with me." I replied sarcastically over my shoulder as I walked into the restroom.

When I walked through the door I saw girls crowding the sinks looking at themselves in the mirror. 'Great, this school's filled wit barbies,' I thought to myself. When it seemed like none of the girls were going to leave anytime soon I turned to leave. "Stupid girls and their stupid cake faced selves," I muttered under my breath.

"What?" I heard someone ask me.

I stopped and looked to the left of me slightly. I saw Sam leaning up against the wall with her arms crossed on her chest and one leg propped up. 'Damn, she looks good just posted like that.' I mentally said to myself. "Oh, hey." I said. "I uhhhh don't understand why girls worry so much over make up and stuff... they use so much that their face looks caked up."

"Haha, true that," Sam laughed. "I've finally found another girl who thinks like I do."

I smiled at her. "What can I say? Great minds think alike," I told her. "Well I gotta go... Jonah's waiting for me outside. I'll see you around." I turned around and walked out the door.

I found Jonah across the hall talking to the kid with the funny shaped head that met up with Sam earlier. I walked up to them.

"Jeez, Shorty, what took you so long?" Jonah asked.

"Girls and their make up," I said shaking my head. "I didn't even get to wash my face."

"Aren't you a girl?" The funny shaped headed kid asked me.

I gave him an 'are you serious?!' look. I turned to Jonah who was staring at the kid with wide eyes and an open mouth. I looked back at the kid and glared at him. Before I could verbally abuse him, Jonah cleared his throat and spoke.

"Shorty, Amanda... this is Freddie. Freddie this is Amanda, also known as Shorty."

Freddie extended his right hand out. 'I can't believe this kid,' I thought as I shook his hand. I gripped it firmly and squeezed tightly. Freddie winced in pain. "Nice to meet you, Freddie." I said through gritted teeth.

"Ni-nice to meet you, too," Freddie replied after I let go of his hand.

The bell rang and I turned to follow Jonah. "See you around," I said to Freddie over my shoulder. As we were walking past the bathroom I saw Sam and her cute brunette friend walking out the door. I flashed both of them a toothy smile and nodded my head as we passed each other.

I counted ten steps then looked over my shoulder. I saw all three of them staring towards me. Freddie was clutching onto his right hand, and the two girls were just looking at me with amused expressions. I smirked and turned my attention back to following Jonah.

Second period, Spanish 2, was also uneventful. Mrs. Diaz, the Spanish teacher, was a short lady. She had a spanish accent and spoke so fast I could barely keep up with her. I looked at Jonah with a puzzled face, he just looked at me and laughed. "Sorry, I guess I forgot to warn you about her too," Jonah whispered with a low laugh.

"Ya think?!" I said a little more loudly than I wanted too.

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Diaz looked at me. "Did you want to say something to the class?" She asked with her spanish accent.

"No, maestra. Lo siento. Continúe, por favor." I replied back to her in spanish. She looked at me with raised eyebrows and I shrugged my shoulders. "I had a great teacher last year." She smiled and returned to her lesson.

"I didn't know you knew how to speak spanish!" Jonah said with awe in his voice.

"Dude, this is Spanish 2. I couldn't get into this class unless I passed Spanish 1, idiot. Now imma go to sleep and shut my mouth before I get put on blast again," I said. "Wake me up when there's five minutes left of class or if she's starin' at me."

I crossed my arms on the desk and laid my head down. After a few minutes I was drifting in and out of consciousness. Finally closing my eyes for the last time, I fell into a deep sleep.

_When I opened my eyes again I wasn't in class anymore. When I looked around I realized I was in the middle of the street. _'_**What the hell, this isn't Seattle**_,' _I thought to myself._ '_**Wait a minute, this is Long Beach, what the hell am I doing here?**_' _I walked further down the street and stopped at a familiar looking house. _'_**What the fuck, this is Jerika's house**_.' _ I took a step back from the house and looked at the address. _'_**1500,**_' _ then I looked towards the end of the street and read the cross sections. _'_**Delta Ave. and Willow St... what the fuck, this is her house. How'd I get here? I thought I was in class? Ahh fuck it, might as well say wassup since I'm here**_.'

_When I walked into the driveway I saw a car that looked like my cousins blurple 1998 Acura Integra. _'_**What the fuck is this nigga doin' here?**_'_ I asked myself as I walked up the quick flight of stairs and stopped right in front of the door. I knocked once and waited for a minute._

_No answer._

_I knocked a second time, a little harder._

_Still no answer._

_Getting impatient I banged on the door._

_**'Shit, finally.**_' _I thought to myself as I heard someone shuffling towards the door._

_When the door swung open I saw a tall kid, probably about five seven, standing there half naked. He was a tall skinny dude with tattoos all over his arms and chest. One tattoo in particular caught my eye though. _'_**WSI 33**__**rd**__** ST**_.'_ was tatted on the left side of his chest._

_My eyes glazed over and my facial expression hardened. When I looked up into the guys face, realization hit him. Before he could close the door in my face my right fist swung back, launched forward and connected with his left temple. As he stumbled backwards I reached out and grabbed him by his shoulders. I pulled him down and struck his stomach with my right knee once, twice, and after the third time I pushed him onto the floor._

_As he was gasping for air I stood over him, stalking him like a prey. He rolled onto his stomach and tried to get on his hands and knees. _"What," _I kicked him in the ribs,_ "the fuck," _I kicked him again, _"are you doin' here?" _I kicked him even harder, making him roll onto his back clutching onto his ribs for dear life._

"Justin? Baby, what's going on?" _I heard that familiar sweet voice coming from the bedroom. When she didn't get a response I heard footsteps walking towards the living room. When she saw him on the floor she gasped. _"Baby! What happened?"

"Hey baby," _I snarled out,_ "your friend here was just gettin' acquainted with my first and feet."

_When she heard me speak, she noticeably flinched. Finally looking at me, I could see the color drain from her face._

"Sh-Shorty! Baby, I-I can explain," _she stuttered._

"BULLSHIT! Don't give me none of that 'it's not what it looks like' crap!" _I yelled at her. _"Two years of my fuckin' life, and this is how you gon' do me?"_ I asked her quietly, calmly almost._

"No baby! Seriously_," she said. "_he's just here to check out your cousins car._" I could hear the fear in her voice as she spoke._

"You think I'm stupid?! Even if his car was marked, Kevin would never sell his baby to one of them Islander niggas!_" I said, "_and if he's just checkin' out my cousins car, why the fuck isn't he wearin' a shirt? And why the fuck are you just in your bath robes?_" I watched her face intently. The fear could be seen more visibly now as she realized I called her out on her lie._

_I saw a slight movement out of the corner of my eye. I reached to the waistband of my baggy jeans and pulled out my gun. When Justin was standing upright, I pistol-whipped him on the side of his head and he went down again._

_When I looked at Jerika, her face was in shock. I smirked and turned my attention back to Justin._

"So Justin, you're West Side Islander gang banger, huh?_" I asked as I circled him. When I didn't get a reply I kicked him in the ribs, hard. "_Answer me when I'm fuckin' talkin' to you!_" I yelled at him._

"Yeah! I'm a fuckin' Islander!_" he groaned out._

"Well you must be a stupid one._" I growled out. "_Don't you know not to fuck with my girl?_" I asked._

"I didn't know she was your girl! She told me she wasn't taken._" he replied, still on the floor clutching onto his ribs._

_I looked up at Jerika. "_Is that right?_" I asked, staring into her eyes. All I could see was fear. "_What's wrong baby? Why you look so scared?_"_

"I-I'm so sorry babe! It's just you were gone and I-I missed you so much!_" she tried to explain to me, stuttering._

"I don't give a fuck! I missed you, too! But you don't see me goin' around fuckin' the enemy._" I turned my attention back to Justin, "_and you! Get the fuck up._" I waited while he was trying to get on his feet. When he finally did, I took a step towards him and pointed the tip of my gun to his head. "T_he next time you decide to fuck my girl, don't. If you want to gather up all your lil' homies and come find me... I'll be in the EASTSIDE of Long Beach on holidays and on breaks. If you wanna find out more 'bout me, the names Shorty from that East Side Long Beach City Crips gang, cuhz! Now get outta my face before I rearrange your pretty lil' face wit the bullets in this gun._" I pushed him towards the still open door._

_When he walked out the door, I closed and locked it. I leaned my forehead against the door and took a couple of deep breaths. At the touch of her hand on my shoulder I stiffened up._

"Baby?_" her voice was small. "_I'm so sorry, babe._" Her breath was hot against my neck. My body involuntarily shivered. Her lips sucking on my ear was hot and spread heat through out my body reaching the end of my fingers and toes. I suppressed a moan. I felt her arms snake around my torso. It took everything I had to not lean back into her warm embrace. "_Please babe, turn around?_" When she __didn't get an answer from me, I felt her right hand move down my stomach._

_I grabbed her wrist before she could go any further. Still holding her wrist, I slowly turned around. When I was fully face-to-face with her I dropped her hand and stared everywhere but at her. 'I__** can't look into your eyes. If I do I'll forget all about Justin**__.' I thought to myself. "__**But fuck, she's standing right here in front of me and it's been months. Ahh... fuck it**__.'_

_I looked into her eyes with an intense stare. It must have been really intense because she took a step backwards._

"You know I'll never forget this, ever._" I told her quietly. "_You've completely lost my trust. Who am I gonna catch you fuckin' next time, huh? A raskal nigga?_"_

"No babe! I won't do this anymore, I'm so fucking sorry! I just missed you so much... all those times we talked on the phone, you always got me so worked up. I could never get myself to cum. I needed something physical._" she explained. "_Justin, he don't mean shit to me. He can't touch me like you can._"_

_I took a step towards her and wrapped my arms around her waist. "_You mean he didn't kiss you here?_" I asked kissing her pulse point. "_Or licked you here?_" I moved up to her ear and licked her ear lobe. "_Or bite you here and suck you there?_" I moved to the other side of her neck where it met with her shoulder, and slightly nipped there, gently sucking it afterwards. I felt her knees buckle._

_I unwrapped my arms from her waist, took a step back, and leaned against the door. Her face told me how much she enjoyed the attention I gave to her weak spots._

_After a few seconds she looked at me with questioning eyes. I just stared at her, taking in every feature of her face. From her big beautiful hazel eyes to her full pink rosy lips, and everything in between. __'__**Got damn she's so beautiful**__.' I thought to myself._

_My gaze moved down to her body. I reached out a hand and untied her bath robes. Understanding what I was doing, she slipped the bath robe off her body and let it fall to the ground. I sucked in a breath, as my eyes took in all her glory. She had a petite frame with curves in all the right places. '__**Yeaups, beauty with a bangin' body**__.'_

_Without even thinking about it, my hands shot out. Reaching behind her, I grabbed her ass. She gasped. I lifted her up easily and she automatically wrapped her legs around my waist. Before making another moved I looked into her eyes._

"You love me?_" I asked her._

_She nodded her head._

"Then tell me._"_

"I love you, baby._"_

"Good, now show me._"_

_Her lips were instantly on mine, kissing me with raw passion._

_I turned us around and slammed her against the door. My lips pulled away from hers and went to her throat. I sucked, licked, and nipped on every inch of exposed skin as she threw her head back with a moan._

_My lips traveled down further, kissing around her chest, then down the valley in between her boobies. I licked both her nipples then blew on them. She shivered and pulled me into her. "_Fuck... babe... missed... you sooo much._" she breathed into my ear, then licked it._

_Making sure my left arm was securely wrapped around her back, I snuck my right hand between her thighs. My finger tips barely grazed the insides of her thighs, causing goosebumps to form. I slowly moved my hand towards her most sacred area, causing her to whimper impatiently. "_Oh my god, baby! Will you PLEASE stop with the fucking tease and get on with it already?_" she asked rather rudely._

_I pulled away from her abruptly. "_What the hell, Jerika. Can't I just tease you once without you runing the mood?_" I asked her._

"No!_" she replied. "_You know I liked it hard and fast._"_

"Oh yea, like this._" At that I tossed away all the thoughts of teasing her and pushed my index and middle fingers inside her. She was wet and tight. "_Is that how you want it babe?_" I asked, pumping my fingers in and out of her in a fast and steady pace. She moaned a yes in my ear._

_I noticed her breathing get more quicker and felt her muscles tighten around my fingers. I pulled out of her and started rubbing her clit. "_Cum for me baby,_" I huskily whispered in her ear. "_cum for me and lemme hear you scream my name._"_

"OOH MY FUCKING GOD! SH-SHORTY!! B-BABY!!_" she screamed out as she reached her climax. I muffled her screams with my mouth. I pulled away and she rested her head in the crook of my neck. "_That was wonderful._" she sighed into my ear. "_I love you, Amanda._"_

"Only the best for you._" I told her quietly. "_and I love you too Jerika. Now lets get some shut eye. I'm pooped._"_

_Still in the same position, I carefully carried her into the bedroom. I gently laid her down on the bed and got in behind her. I pulled the covers over us and pulled her naked body into my fully clothed one. Spooning her, and feeling content I fell asleep in seconds._

I jerked up from my seat as I felt someone shake my shoulders. I looked up and realized it was Jonah. "Five minutes left of class."

"huh? Oh yea, thanks." I told him groggily, I was still woozy from being awakened from a deep sleep. "I really need to splash my face with cold water now. You think you can take my stuff with you after class? I wanna go to the restroom right now before it gets all crowded again.

After Jonah said that he'd do it for me I quietly snuck out of the classroom when Mrs. Diaz was turned away. The restroom was actually empty when I got in there. I walked up to the sink and looked into the mirror. Even though my eyes were half closed from sleeping, I could still see how red they were. Closing my eyes and starting the water, I splashed my face with the cold water and instantly felt myself wake up.

I think I was really tired because I didn't hear the door open or close. Shutting off the water I blindly felt the walls for the tissues. My hand felt another persons hand and jerked it away. Immediately, I opened my eyes and saw Sam's cute friend standing there holding out a tissue for me.

**a/n: holy cow, this is a long one .. I really didnt think it was gonna be this long, then I started typing and typing and typing! A had a whole chapter written out, but then when I started typing it out I just added more and more stuff .. uhmmm .. I honestly dont know where im going with this story lol .. but ill try to get it somewhere ..**

**btw... if youre wondering what an Islander or a raskal was .. they're gang bangers in long beach. WSI are mainly pacific islanders in the westside of long beach .. and raskals are mainly cambodians from TRG .. tiny raskal gang.. wat else? Oh yea .. east side long beach city crips arent real .. its make believe .. and im not a gangbanger... and its 3am and im pooped .. gnight D .. **

**review plz . Ill give you a cookie xD**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.**

**A/N: This chapter is rated T. blah blah blah blah ..**

**CHAPTER 3**

"I'm sorry, didn't mean to startle you," she started, "but it looked like you needed help."

She handed me the paper towel and I catiously took it from her.

"Uhh, thanks," I said before drying my face with the paper towel. After doing that I took a step behind her and threw the towel away.

When I turned back around I noticed that she was still facing the sink. Thinking I was slick, I shamelessly checked her out from behind. '_Jeez, this girls got a nice body._' Her black skinny jeans hugged her legs tightly and showed the curves of her hips and ass wonderfully. '_Damn, legs for days!_' I licked my lips slowly.

She cleared her throat and my eyes shot up. I saw her looking at me through the mirror. Her eyes were amused, squinting slightly.

'_Holy shit, she knows I was checking her out._'

I gave her a weak smile. "Hehe, uhhh. Hi."

"Were you just - ," she was cut off by the ringing bell.

"No, I was not just checking you out from behind," I told her inconspicuously as the restroom door opened. I took a step towards her and whispered in her ear, "but you do have some nice legs though." I took a step back and straightened up. "Not that I was checking you out or anything."

"Yes you were!" she told me with wide eyes. "I saw you through the mirror."

"Alright, alright. Fine, if you want it to be true then, sure, I was doin' what I was doin' before you rudely interrupted me." I threw over my shoulder as I walked out the restroom door.

I immediately started looking for Jonah. I spotted him down the hall talking to Rodney. As I was about to make my way towards them, I felt slim, slender fingers wrap around my upper arm and forcefully turn me around.

My reflexes kicked in and I had balled up fists swinging at the persons head. It took all I had to stop myself from hitting the girl square in the face. My fist stopped just an inch from her nose. She looked horrified at seeing my fist in her face. I dropped my balled up hands to my side and looked at her like she was crazy.

"You know, you were just a second away from having a bloody, broken nose." I told her. "You shouldn't be grabbin' on people you don't know."

"Oh yeah?" she questioned me somewhat angrily.

"Yeah."

"Well you shouldn't check someone out, get caught, deny it, get called out on, then make it seem like I wanted it to be true!" she said in a high pitched voice, causing people to stare at us.

"Alright," I said putting my hands up in mock surrender. "Alright! I'm sorry, I get it. Don't have to get your panties in a bunch." I immediately regretted saying those words right when it came out. Her face turned a beet red, and, if it were possible, steam would have been pouring out of her ears and nose.

"You... You... You're so INFURIATING!" she yelled at me. People stopped what they were doing and stared at us.

"Jeez, lighten up. Dont you know how to take a joke?" I asked her calmly.

She pointed her right index finger in my face. "You dont know me, so dont joke like you do." I crossed and uncrossed my eyes every time her finger bobbed up and down. "Will you stop that! I'm yelling at you here!"

"Hey Shorty, what's the problem?" Rodney asked stepping to my right, slinging an arm over my shoulders.

"We heard yelling from down the hall," Jonah joined in on my left. "When we look this way, we see you getting yelled at."

"Just had a misunderstandin'," I stated calmly, looking at the girl. I looked over her shoulder a little bit and saw Sam and Freddie come up behind her.

"Carls, what's wrong?" She asked, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. '_Man how I wished I was her shoulder._ _What the hell! Where did that come from?!_'

"People said you were yelling at someone," looking around, Freddie's eyes landed on me, "oh, its you." He turned his attention back to his friend, "were you yelling at this girl, Carly?"

This girl? This girl?! Who does this kid think he is?! I have a fucking name you know! Something about being around this guy makes me want to lash out...

"This girl has a name," I growled out.

"Oh yeah, _Shorty_," He said, seemingly mocking my name.

"Yeah, it's Shorty! Got a problem with that?" I dared him to answer. The wrong answer and I would have him sprawled out on the floor. I waited patiently for his answer. "Well, do you?" I barked out, losing my patience.

Patience was never a virtue of mine.

"N-n-no! I don't have a problem with that," I finally stuttered out.

"That's what I thought," I said wit a smirk. "If ANYONE has a problem with me or the name," I said loudly, noticing the group that somehow made a ring around us. "Then do somethin' about it. I may be short and small, but I swear I'll have you on your ass in the blink of an eye." I stated confidently.

My confidence could be seen as cockiness, but I am not cocky! I'm just that damn confident about myself in laying people out. I'm not a violent person, really I'm not. People are just dumb and tend to rub me the wrong way. Like Freddie, for instance. I like to knock some sense into these dumb people and set them straight. I'd like to think of it as doing them a favor. Aww, aren't I just the sweetest?

I feel Rodney's arm gently forcing me to turn around. I stand my ground and look up to see him staring down at me with a disappointed look. I instantly feel my demeanor changing just at that look. That look that I've been getting my whole life.

I abruptly turn my gaze away from him and stare at the three people in front of me. "I guess that's settled. I'll see you around Sam, and uhhh Carly, was it?" she nodded her head once. "Right, Carly. Look, I'm sorry about earlier." I turned my attention to Freddie, "Egghead." Out of the corner of my eye I see Sam and Carly hide a laugh with the back of their hands.

"Shorty..." I heard Rodney warn in a low voice. I refused to look at him. Instead I slipped out from under his arm and spun around.

"Whatever," I gruffly said as I started walking away.

I grabbed my things that were on the floor near my locker and started looking for a vending machine. "God, I'm so hungry." I said to myself, slightly rubbing my stomach. "Does this school not have vending machines?" I asked to no one in particular.

Off to the corner of the hallway I saw a slightly chubby kid standing by himself, holding a brown paper bad. I made a beeline to him. He looked nervous as I approached him.

"Hey kid, what's in the bag?" I asked him.

"Ba-bologna sandwich, some chocolate chip cookies, and a bottle of peppy cola," he answered nervously. "What's it to you?" he daringly asked me.

"Sounds good. How about I buy if offa you?"

He seemed a little thrown off with my question. "Wh-wait. What?"

"C'mon how much?" I pulled out a wad of cash from my right front pocket. "20 buckaroos sound good to you?" I asked, pulling a crisp 20 dollar bill from the brick like pile. He nodded dumb-foundedly, staring at the wad of cash still in my hands. I gave him a weird look and stuffed the money back in my pocket.

"Alright, it's a deal." I handed him the 20 dollars with my left hand and reached for the food with my right. Like a scavenger I hungrily looked inside the bag for the cookies while he examined the bill. Once I found a cookie, I stuffed it into my mouth. I let out a little moan; it was orgasmic. "That's some good cookie, is it homemade?" he nodded his head. "How about another deal? There'll be more President Jackson's comin' your way if you bring me a couple dozen of these cookies every other week." I offered him.

He thought for a moment then said, "Yea, sure."

We shook hands.

"Nice doin' business with you..." I trailed off.

"Gibby, my names Gibby."

"Nice doin' business with you Gibby." I told him as the bell rang. "I'll see you here next week." I threw over my shoulder walking away, merrily munching on the cookies.

When I reached into the bag for the tenth time, something horrible happened. I searched and searched around the bag, but nothing! There were no more cookies!

Suddenly it was quiet, eerie almost. I didn't hear anymore voices and shuffling shoes scuffing the floor. When I finally looked up I realized I was the only one standing in the deserted hallway.

I looked at my watch and realized I was already five minutes late for class. "Fuck me and my Cookie Monster like tendencies." I quietly scolded myself. "I don't even know where the damn class is."

Still scolding myself, I slowly made my way to the front of the school where the office was located. I waited at the counter to be acknowledge. I finally got the attention from a little old lady with short white hair and rectangular glasses that sat on the end of her nose.

"Yes, may I help you?" she asked politely.

"Yeah... this is my first day of school and I don't know my way around. I was wondering if you could tell me where my class was." I replied.

"Ahh, I see. Well what class do you have right now?" I took out my schedule and told her. "Hmm, well, it's too far of a walk for little old me to take you. You'll probably get lost if I sent you by yourself," she seemed deep in thought. "Tell you what, why don't I call and ask your teacher to send someone?" she asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders, "Sounds good to me." I would rather spend as much time away from class anyways.

"Alright, take a seat. Someone is on their way to get you. It may take a few minutes." she informed me after she got off the phone.

I thanked her and turned my attention to the walls. I looked at the pictures and plaques that hung there. One thing caught my eye. It was a framed newspaper clipping. "**Lady Bulldogs Win Their First State Title in Forty Years!**" Wow, this school's been up and running for forty years but has only just won one title?! Pathetic. Maybe if I joined the team this school will win another one.

See, it's my confidence talking again. I guess I do come off as cocky sometimes, but I love the game! I've been playing since the second grade! It's been awhile since I've actually picked up a ball and played an actual game though. Ever since, ever since ...

"Holy shit!" I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

**A/N: uhhh, I hope you enjoyed this chapter .. I've had almost 300 hits on this story, but only 5 reviews .. kinda sad, no? But no matter, thank you for taking the time to read this story! Plz, leave a review .. Hate it? Love it? Don't understand something? Anything I need to work on? .. don't matter .. I'm fine with anything just as long as you review xD ..**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. If I did, I would be rich and yeah ...**

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait, I've been busy with school and ish. I finally took my drivers test, and as of October 31st, 2008 I am officially licensed! LOL. Anyways, HAPPY READING.**

After I got over my fright, I heard giggling from behind me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

I swear it was dejavu, only this time I was able to fit the voice with a name. Spinning around I saw Carly standing there in all her prettiness.

"Jeez, woman! You like to sneak up on people don't you?!" I asked, still a little shaken up.

"Surprisingly, no. It only happens to you. Didn't know 'Super Shorty' could be so jumpy," she said sarcastically with a smile.

"Yeah well, if you grew up where I'm from you'd be all jumpy and paranoid, too." I told her seriously.

I am totally being serious, too. Life in Long Beach wasn't always a walk in the park. I mean sure, there were carefree moments, like my childhood, but everything after that was survival of the fittest. I could never walk down the street without packing heat, and I always had to look over my shoulder.

Her smiled faltered a little bit, taking my seriousness, seriously. "Oh... well, since there's no other student this room, I'm guessing you're the new student who doesn't know their way around school?" she asked. I nodded my head slowly, almost shamefully. "Ahh, well I guess we should go to class then."

On the way to class I asked her to show me where my other classes were, and she did. I slowly followed her around the school memorizing where all of my classes were.

When we got to the class, I sat at the back of the class, in the furthest corner, on the right. The seat right next to the door, just in case I wanted to make a quick escape.

I wanted to make that escape right now. This teacher is crazy! What was her name again? Biggs? No, Bridges? Oh wait, Ms. Briggs. Yeah there we go. This teacher is a trip. She actually yelled at me when I walked through the door earlier, saying something about getting lost. I gave her a weird look and told her to get laid. She just glared at me and told me to sit down.

I didn't even pay attention to Briggs. I acted like I was, but in reality I was staring at the back of Carly's head. She was sitting two seats in front of me on my left. I'm guessing she felt eyes watching her so she turned around. Instead of looking away, making it seem like I wasn't staring at her, my gaze met hers. I gave her a small smile and she returned it.

"Pay attention!" Briggs shrieked, smacking her desk with a meter stick. The whole class jumped at her sudden outburst.

In her haste, Carly turned in her seat and jumped at the same time, causing her to fall out of her desk. I help back a laugh and stood up. The whole class was silent and watching me as I made my way around desks and to Carly.

Before I could reach her, she shot up with one arm in the air and yelled "I'M OKAY!" I was startled and jumped backwards onto someones desk. I lost my balance and fell onto my back. My legs swung up and over my head, causing me to roll off the table. I landed on the floor with a loud _thud_.

"Omg! Omg! Oh my god! I'm so sorry! Are you okay, Shorty?" I heard Carly ask, quite loudly in my ear. I turned my head towards her face, and started laughing like crazy. I felt Carly stiffen up, where she was kneeling beside me, and started laughing too.

The classroom was silent but after Carly and I started laughing uncontrollably so did everyone else.

"Stop! Stop the madness! No laughing in class!" I hear Briggs try to yell over everyones laughter. I stopped laughing for a little bit to look at her. That was a wrong move, cuz I started laughing even harder. She had a lost expression on her face, like she didn't know what to do except just stand there.

I couldn't believe the first day of my Junior year would be like this. First, I ran into some hot blond chick. Second, I was about to beat down a dumb ass with a head shaped like an egg. Third, I was a second away from physically hurting one of the most cutest girls I've ever seen. Lastly, I was rolling around the floor of my third period, Sophomore Literature, classroom laughing like a maniac. This has got to be one of the most memorable days of my life. I haven't even been here for half a school day yet, and so much has already happened. I guess unexpected things like to happen around me.

After five minutes of rolling around the floor clutching onto my stomach, it started cramping up. I sat up and wiped the tears that formed around my eyes. I took in a deep breath and looked around me. The students were doing what I was doing, except they weren't sitting on the floor.

"WHOO! That was a good workout," I stated as I stood up.

"You!" Briggs pointed at me, "and you!" she pointed at Carly. "Office. Now." she barked out. I looked at Carly and she just shrugged her shoulders. We gathered our things and I followed Carly to the door.

"Lead the way," I held the door open until Carly walked out, then I walked out too. I stood there, as the door was swinging shut. I slightly tilted my head to the right and stared at her figure. I snapped out of my daze when the door finally shut all the way. I shook my head to clear all thoughts of Carly's body and jogged to catch up with her.

"So... we didn't talk on the way to class," Carly started, turning her head to look at me. I nodded my head in agreement. She took in a deep breath, "Where did you move from?" she asked.

"From the good ol' LBC," I replied to her proudly.

She took notice of my tone and raised her eyebrows. "LBC?" she asked. I nodded my head enthusiastically, with a grin on my face. She giggled and said, "That's in southern California right?" My grin widened even more.

"Yessiree bob," I answered.

We walked in silence for a while, and the thought of what happened earlier popped into my head.

"Hey," she turned to look at me, "I know you probably think I'm an asshole slash pervert, but I'm really sorry about earlier."

She shook her head and looked ahead. "Nah, it's fine. I should be used to it, I've been checked out plenty of times. I guess I overreacted when it came to you."

"Because I'm a girl, and you didn't expect to get checked out by a girl?" she nodded her head. "Well, it might seem like I'm tryna flatter you, but I know for a fact that other girls have checked you out too."

She gave me a questioning look. "And how would you know that as a fact?"

"Cuz you're a looker Ms. Carly. I bet straight girls look your way and think you're a beauty." I told her with a smile.

"Does that mean you're one of them?" she questioned. Her face was expressionless.

"Them? Like... straight? Me? NEVER!" I exclaimed, pointing one finger in the air. "I'm my own person, I don't like being labeled, but if I were to label myself... I'd be the exact opposite of 'straight.'"

She stopped suddenly and had a confused look on her face. "So that means you're...." she trailed off.

"Not straight? Yeah. Gay? Yeah. A lesbian? Yeah." I answered for her. "You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

She shook her head quickly and started walking again, taking quicker, more urgent-like steps towards the office. I just stood there for a minute, letting her actions sink in.

I'm an honest person, I tell the truth no matter what. So when she asked, I just had to answer her truthfully. I'm usually quiet about my personal life, but if people ask me questions, I will answer them. That's the type of person I am, I keep to myself unless spoken to. I've gotten reactions like hers many times, but for some reason, her reaction hit me hard.

Not wanting to find out what the rest of the school day has to offer me, I turned around towards the exit and walked out the school. I walked through the parking lot and made my way to my black 2005 Toyota Matrix. When I got into the car I pulled my cell phone out and dialed seven digits that were branded into my brain.

"_Hello?_" I heard that beautiful voice answer from the other end of the phone.

"Hey, baby."

"_Babe, aren't you supposed to be in school?_" my girlfriend, Jerika, asked.

"Yeah..." I trailed off. There was a pause, I knew she was waiting for an explanation. When she didn't get one she spoke.

"_Okay, so why are you callin' me when you're still in school?_" she questioned.

"I'ono... 'cuz I missed you?" I answered her hopefully.

"_Babe,_" she sighed, "_I miss you too, but you can't skip class just to call me._"

"SO! You used to do it, too! Remember?!" I challenged her.

"_Yeah, but I don't want you doin' what I did. I want you to focus on your education now that you're back in a public school._" she lectured me.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, whatever makes you happy, babe." I told her. "Can I just skip the rest of this period? I just need to hear your voice right now." I begged.

"_Alright, fine._" she said defeatedly.

"YAY!!!" I semi-loudly yelled into the receiver. "See babe, I'm feelin' better already."

I heard her giggle on the other line. "_What a loser! And you're supposed to be one of the most notorious gangsters in Long Beach?_" she questioned me sarcastically.

"HA HA babe, you know I gotta do what I gotta do to run the streets. When it comes to you, I'm all '_kisses, hugs and beautiful words._'" I sang the last part to her.

"_You are sooooo corny!_"

"Only for you babe." I told her truthfully. "Anyways, what you doin'?"

"_Dyin' of boredom at work_." she told me, and I believed her.

"Your boss still bein' a lil' bitch to you?" I asked her.

"_Hell nah! That nigga still scared of what you did to him last time. He avoids me at all times._" I could tell by her tone that she was smiling.

I laughed loudly when I heard this. Her stupid boss, Jeffery, was a round old man probably in his early to mid-thirties. He hired her two months before I moved out of Long Beach. The first month, she informed me, was chill and laid back. All she had to do was file paperwork and run errands. The second month, however, was when things started turning around. He made her work around him and always verbally hit on her. About a week or two before I was about to move, he physically hit on her, that round old man smacked her ass when she was bent over a filing cabinet. I got pissed when she told me and cornered him one night when he was leaving a bar. I clocked him on the back with a skateboard and dragged him to a nearby alley. When we were in the darkest corner I pulled out my gun and pointed it in between his eyes. He looked scared and I had a smirk on my face. I told him if he ever tried anything on Jerika again I was going to kill him. I pistol whipped him on the side of his face, kicked him onto the floor when he was bent over, and walked out of the alley like nothing happened.

"I'm surprised that nigga didn't fire you."

"_Well you are the infamous Shorty, so I'm sure he's heard about you. He probably knows that you'd really kill him._"

"Like duh. No one smacks my girlfriends ass and expects to get away with it. He's lucky I didn't end his life that night." I told her seriously. Just then the bell rang, signaling the end of third period. "Aww man, the bell just rang," I told her sadly.

"_It's okay babe. Call me durin' lunch or somethin', if not call me when you get out of school._"

"Okay, baby." I said slowly. "I'll talk to you later... I love you."

"_I LOOOOVE YOU TOO HONEY!_" she yelled in my ear. I pulled the phone away from my ear and chuckled a little bit.

"Bye, babe." I said as I placed the phone back to my ear.

"_Bye sweetie, have a good day at school._" I heard a click and the dial tone.

Putting the phone back in my pocket, I reached over to the glove compartment and took out a small flask. I unscrewed the top and took a long swig. I felt the burning sensation go down my throat and settled in my stomach. '_Thank whoever it was that invented Jack Daniels,_' I gave a huge sigh and placed the flask back in the glove compartment.

Before entering the school building, I pulled out a stick of gum and chewed on it making sure the smell of whiskey wasn't noticeable in my breath. I took a deep breath, held it for a while until my lungs were burning, then let it out slowly. '_Let's see what the rest of the day has to offer me_,' I thought to myself as I walked through the door.

**A/N: How'd you like this chapter? Please read and review. THANK YOU to the people who has reviewed already. I hope you guys like this story so far xD I wanted to post this chapter earlier, but I wasn't satisfied with it, so I switched things around. Hopefully this is better.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm sorry, it's been awhile. So to make it up to the people that actually read, reviewed, and alerted on this story, I gave you all an extra long chapter!**

**CHAPTER 5**

"Are you serious? She did that?" Jonah asked like he couldn't believe it.

I took a bite of my bologna sandwich and nodded.

It was finally lunchtime and I was devouring my sandwich at lightening speed. I was sitting alone for awhile until Jonah and Rodney joined me. They both asked how my day was and I told them all about the Carly incident.

My tone was playful at first, but when I got to the end I was quiet and serious. Jonah's and Rodney's attitude changed with the tone of my voice. When I finished my story they had sad expressions on their faces.

"I was about to leave the rest of the school day, cuhz." I told them after I swallowed my sandwich. I took a sip of my Peppy-Cola before talking again. "Was in the car ready to go and everythin'." They both gave me quizzical looks.

"How'd you get out the school?" - "Why didn't you just leave?" they both asked me at the same time.

"There weren't any staff members at the door," I replied around a laugh. "and I called Jerika before I did anythin'." They nodded their heads in understanding.

That's what I loved about these guys, the way they didn't push for more information. It's always been this way since we were kids.

Back in the days, when I lived in Long Beach, my whole family, all nine of us, would pack into our black Ford Expedition and drive to my aunts house in Seattle. That's how I met these two boneheads. They were neighbors and lived across the street from my aunt. We met when I was watching my older brothers and cousins playing basketball on the street, Jonah and Rodney were on their side of the street playing catch with a football on Jonah's front yard. I guess one of them threw the football too hard, because it somehow landed a foot away from where I was standing and slowly rolled my way. I picked up the ball and chucked it back at the two of them without realizing it, I was so engrossed in the game my family was playing in.

After a few minutes, I felt someone tapping on my shoulder. When I turned around Jonah and Rodney were standing there looking somewhat nervous. When I asked them what they wanted Rodney asked if I wanted to play catch with them. I was torn between watching my family play ball, because it was such an intense game, or actually being active myself and playing with two skinny ten year old boys I didn't know. I eventually went with the second choice and haven't regretted it since.

Every summer, since we were ten, we would spend hours outside the house doing things ten year olds could think of. Everyday, for three months, every summer, I was with Jonah and Rodney. I basically watched them grow from little scrawny boys to young men, respectively they've watched me grow from a little tomboy, to a big bad gangster. It didn't matter to them though, that I was a gangster. I mean they were surprised and disappointed at first, but they got over it when they saw I was still that short little Cambodian girl they knew and loved so well. I just changed a few thing about myself, but still stayed who I was none-the-less.

As the years passed by and the gas prices rose, my family gradually stopped their little road trips. I was forced to be away from Jonah and Rodney for a whole summer. That was the summer I started hanging out with the wrong crowd. I didn't have anything to do, better yet didn't know what to do, that summer so I started hanging out with my cousins and their friends.

At that time I just turned fourteen. I was still some what innocent. That summer basically changed my life though. I was introduced to drinking, smoking weed, and popping pills also known as 'thizzin'. I stayed as far away from smoking weed and thizzin' as I could, but I stuck with drinking. Something about the burning sensation doing down my throat and settling in the pit of my stomach made me feel alive.

It was a month into the summer when the prospect of actually joining a gang entered my head. I was always with the guys; grew a brother-sister bond with them. We were homies, so why not? It wasn't until the day I got jumped that the idea seemed great to me.

_It was late at night around one, almost two, in the morning. There were about ten of us, we were out in the front yard just chilling and bagging on eachother when a group of Longos passed by and started taking shit to us._

"_Fuck Nips, go back to Asia." one of the Longos said._

"_Fuck you, cuhz. Why don't you do yourself a favor and hop the border before I call the Border Patrol on you." I retorted, tightening my grip on the neck of my beer bottle._

"_Fuck you, ese. Don't be talkin' shit to us." another Longo spat out._

"_Do somethin' 'bout it then, cuhz." my cousin, Kevin, threatened though gritted teeth._

_The Longos, all six of them, looked around at eachother then nodded their heads in agreement before launching themselves at us. Instinctively I swung and hit one of the bald headed Longos in the head wit my beer bottle. When he went down I looked around and saw that my other cousin, David, was getting jumped by two of them. I grabbed one of them by the back of his white baggy shirt and pulled him off of David. His hand was swinging towards my head before I ducked down and connected my right fist to the left side of his ribs, hard. Clutching to his ribs and gasping for air, I took that moment to punch him square in the nose. He went down on his knees. I was going to kick him in his head when I felt a fist connecting with the lower right side of my back. Holding onto my back I turned around and was met with a fist to my right temple._

_I went down on one knee for a moment, my right hand gripping onto my head. When the stars disappeared and the throbbing went away a little, I got back on my feet and went in search of the asshole that hit me from behind._

_I didn't have to search very far because that ass was on the sidewalk laughing and pointing at me. I gave him a death glare and ran to the side of the house where all the sports equipment was kept. A second later I ran back to the rumble and swung wildly at every bald headed Longo in my way. Whether they had their backs to me, charging after me, or already on the ground I still swung as hard as I could._

_I was about to hit a skinny kid, probably a year younger than I was, in the back when I heard a "Pablo! Watch out!" from behind me. Pablo turned around quickly and was met with a wooden bat to his midsection. While he went down to the floor I turned around and noticed that it was the boy who hit me that spoke out._

"_Aww, poor Pablo." I said with a mock pout. I turned my attention back to Pablo and started kicking him everywhere I could. When I was satisfied with Pablo, I turned around and noticed that all the Longos were on the floor, save for one. My cousins, Kevin and David, were holding the boy that cheap shotted me from behind. I walked up to them and stopped in front of the boy._

"_Well, well, well," I said as I patted the boys face with each well. "ain't so tough now are ya?" He didn't answer me, and I absolutely hate it when people don't answer me, so I clocked him in the face causing him to slouch down a little. "What's the matter ya punk bitch, you was all talk a minute ago. Why'd you get all quiet when your homies are down?"_

_He looked up at me and spat in my face. I wiped his saliva off of my face and started going crazy on him. A few jabs to the face, a couple kicks to the stomach, and a knee to the groin later my cousins released him and down he went to the dead grass._

"_Don't let me catch you slippin', cuhz." I told him as I kneeled down beside his head. "I'll fuckin' do more damage next time I see you. Now get your homies and get outta here!"_

Of course I didn't 'do more damage' the next time I saw him. If anything he, and three of his homies, did damage on me.

_It was a week after the rumble and I was walking to the liquor store, alone. I was rounding the corner when he walked out with his little posse. 'Oh shit' was the first thing that popped into my head when I saw him. I stood there just staring at him. When he finally saw me recognition entered his eyes._

"_Fuck!" was the first thing out of my mouth when I ran into a dead end alley. From the entry of the alley I heard footsteps getting closer and closer until it stopped right behind me. I slowly turned around and was met with a punch to my stomach that knocked all the air out of my lungs. I bent over and held on to my stomach. I felt a fist connect with my right cheek, causing the inside of my cheeks to tear open with my teeth. I licked where it tore and tasted blood._

_I sucked all the blood and saliva in my mouth then stood up straight. I spit everything I had in my mouth at the four boys in front of me, then wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. "Is that all you've got?" I challenged, giving them a sickening grin. "There are four of you, and that's all you've got? Your hood must be filled with PUSSIES!" I taunted them. I noticed all four of them stiffen up, balling their fists even tighter to their sides. All I had to do was push one more button and they'd go off on me._

"_Fuck yo' hood," I spat out venomously._

_With that all four of them jumped me at the same time. I was hit in the head the same time I was kicked in the thigh. I fell to the dirty, stinky ground in an awkward clump. I felt fists and kicks connect with every part of my body. After what seemed like forever I passed out._

_When I woke up again I was still in the alley, but it was dark all around me. I tried to get up, but I couldn't because I was too weak. I rolled onto my back and pulled my cell phone out of my pocket. I called Kevin and told him where I was. Ten minutes later Kevin showed up with like half of the neighborhood. I guess I looked pretty bad because when they all saw me revenge was etched into their face. _

_They were extra careful when they tried lifting me up. Every time they tried to grab onto my arms I would let out a painful groan. It took awhile but Kevin and David finally had me on my feet, my arms around both of their shoulders and theirs around my the small of my back._

_When I finally got to Kevin's house and cleaned up they bombarded me with questions. I told them everything that happened and they vowed to get revenge for me. I eventually fell asleep on Kevin's bed while everyone else was brainstorming on how to get those fuckers back for me. When I woke up again everyone was gone except for Kevin, David, and the shot-caller of ESLBCC, Andrew._

_The moment I tried to sit up in bed Kevin and David were at my side helping me up._

"_So what's good?" I asked, shrugging their hands off of me._

"_Aight, look. I know you said you'd never wanna join a gang," David started. "but... you're already one of us. You practically know all the niggas in the hood, so why not join?"_

"_Cuz for girls you either get fucked to join or jumped. I ain't fuckin' any nigga and I've been jumped enough." I told them getting frustrated. "Plus, you know my parents and brothers are gonna fuckin' kill me if they knew I joined a gang."_

"_Don't even worry 'bout it, Shorty." Andrew said. "You won't have to fuck any nigga. One fifteen second round with three niggas to get put on, you get to choose the guys, and you get to fight back, how does that sound?"_

"_And what your parents don't know won't hurt 'em." Kevin added._

_I took a few minutes to think it over, then I looked back at Andrew. He was a tall guy, about five eight, and was on the chubby side. He had long black hair that stopped just below his shoulders. His eyes looked like he just finished smoking weed, half closed with a dazed expression. He looked tough on the outside, but he was really a cool laid-back type of guy. I knew I could trust him with my life if something were to go down._

"_Aight, fine, whatever." I said finally giving in. "but I swear if my parents or brothers find out about this shit imma fuck you guys up." I threatened._

_A couple days later, when I felt better, my initiation took place at a park. It was dark already, so no witnesses were around except me and the gang. Everyone formed a big circle around me and I randomly chose the three guys who were gonna jump me in. One of them was slightly taller than me but built like a stick, the second boy was a whole head taller than me but fat, and the last was three inches taller than me but well built. I chose the good ones didn't I?_

When it was over I limped away with a split lip, bruised ribs, and a black eye. The guys barely had any damage done to them. I got a few good licks in, but was mostly on the end of a good beating.

There was no turning back now, I was a member of the East Side Long Beach City Crips and once you're in there's no getting out. Well, there are ways, like getting jumped back out... but there's no telling if you were gonna survive that beating or not. Getting jumped in is one thing, but getting jumped out is another. You could walk out too, but that was rare. In order to be able to walk out you'd have to have a reputation. You had to do a whole shit load of crimes that showed how down you were for your gang. If you were expected to jump some guy that was talking shit, you had to do it. If you were expected to help rob a house, you had to do it. Let's just say if you were expected to do something, you had to do it. Vandalizing property and terrorizing people was a daily occurrence in the life of a gang member.

"Shorty, you alright?" I was snapped out of my daze by Rodney.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine." I answered, "Just reminiscing on how I met you two..." I trailed off, earning a smile from the both of them, "and what happened that summer I didn't come here to Seattle." Their smiles were wiped off their faces instantly.

Okay, maybe I was wrong. They still weren't happy with my choice to join a gang. They didn't understand how life was back in Long Beach for me. Okay... maybe I'm bullshitting again. Seattle is kind of like Long Beach, especially the area where they lived, but it's not the same! Here in Seattle I didn't get chased by members of a rival gang, no one knew who I was. I'm just another face on the streets. I could relax and not have to strain my neck muscles so much from looking over my shoulders.

"Shorty..." Rodney trailed off. I gave him a defeated look.

"Okay, look, don't trip. I'm in Seattle now," I started to explain, "no one knows who I am. I can start over, turn a new leaf, create a new life, whatever the hell you wanna call it. When I'm here you guys don't have to worry 'bout me." I could see their faces start to relax. "Until I'm in LB then you can worry." I finished under my breath.

"What was that?" Jonah asked from where he was across from me.

"Nothin', don't worry. I'm here now, you guys can be all brotherly you want to me. Just don't push it." I threatened them. I looked down at my watch and realized that there were ten minutes left of lunch. I stood up and stretched a little before grabbing my trash. "Imma call Jerika before class starts, I'll see you in class Jonah. Oh yeah, you guys wanna hang out before I go to work?" I asked, they both nodded their heads. "Alright, meet me in the front after school, I'll give you guys a lift." I turned to walk away.

"Nah, it's cool. I drove to school today and gave Jonah a ride." Rodney stated. I turned back around.

"Then I'll just meet you two at my place." I said before I walked away.

I walked to the trashcan and threw my trash away, then I pulled out my cell phone and headed towards the exit of the cafeteria. I dialed Jerika's number and was greeted by her sweet sounding voice two rings later.

"_Hello?_" I hear from the other end of the line.

"Wassup, babe?" I asked as I continued walking.

"_Nothin'. Still bored at work._" she replied.

"What time do you get off?" I looked up and saw Carly, Sam, and Freddie sitting at a table near the exit. A small frown appeared on my face.

"_At like five._" she sighed.

"Awww poor baby." I soothed, almost near their table.

"_Yeah, I know, poor me._" I imagined seeing her sticking out her bottom lip. I smiled at that.

"Hey, baby?" I asked, a table away from where they were sitting.

"_Yeah?_"

"Don't you just hate it when you tell someone something about yourself and they just completely diss you and walk away?" I questioned her loudly as I passed by their table. I locked eyes with Carly and shook my head in a disappointed way.

"_Hell yea, that shit pisses me off._" I could imagine her frowning this time. "_Why, did somethin' happen, hon?_" she asked.

"No, it doesn't matter." I said to her softly, finally exiting the cafeteria.

"_Alright..._" she trailed off. I knew she didn't believe me, but she didn't push me to tell her anything. "_How many classes do you have left?_" she asked, changing the subject.

"Twoooooooo moooorrreeeeeee." I groaned out. "This is only my first day and I'm already sick of it." I complained.

"_Well suck it up you big ol' baby._" That earned a smile from me.

"Well, I'm your baby and I rather be suckin' you." I told her teasingly.

"_Shut up, don't be sayin' anythin' you can't and won't do._" she said.

"Who says I won't and can't do it?" I said, finally stopping at my locker.

"_Uhhh, the fact that you're all the way over there and I'm all the way over here?_" it sounded like a question but came out more as a statement.

"Don't trip, babe. I'll be there soon enough to fulfill your sexual needs." I told her in a husky voice.

"_Oh my god, shut up with your wanna be phone sex voice._" she told me with a laugh. I laughed with her and damn I just love this girl.

"It's only two more weeks 'til Thanksgiving, baby. I'll be there soon." I told her in a quiet voice.

"_Yeah, only 14 more days. I've been away from you for three months already, I can wait two more weeks._" she said in a small voice.

"I'm sorry for movin' so far away," I apologized. "But -"

"_But nothin', you know I understand, hon._" she cut me off. "_Just come back and remind me of what I've been missing_"

"I will, babe. I will." I assured her. I started busting out and singing "I'm Missing You" by Bobby Tinsley. I just stood where I was and sang to her over the phone. She sang along when the girls voice came on. When I was done I felt tears falling freely down my face. I wiped the tears away and sniffed. "Only two more weeks, baby." I reassured her quietly.

"_I love you, Amanda Khem._" she sniffed.

"I love you, too, Jerika Miller." I told her as the bell rang. I stood there, silent for a moment, while the halls were buzzing with students meeting up with their friends and walking to class together. "Aright then baby, I'm gonna go to class now." I said sadly

"_Okay. Call me later._"

"Don't worry I will. I'll call when I get outta work. Bye, babe. Love you."

"_Love you, too._" she said followed by a "_muah!_" I smiled at the joy she brought me as I heard a click on the other end.

I gathered the books that I needed for my next two classes and went on my way. Every where I looked there were couples holding hands, hugging, kissing, talking, laughing. I felt like I was gonna go crazy! The hole that was starting to eat my heart out was getting bigger as each day passed. It's been three long months since I've been with her physically, and its eating me alive.

I couldn't take it anymore. Seeing all these happy couples made me realize how miserable I was without Jerika here with me. I started walking faster and basically power walked to my fifth period class. When I was about to speed walk through the door I ran into someone that smelled good.

"Fuck, I'm so-." I said as I grabbed the girls elbow and pulled her up with me. I stopped mid-sentence when I noticed the girl was Carly. "Oh, well sorry." I said as I bent down to pick our fallen books up. I handed her the book she dropped and walked away before she could say anything. I took a seat next to Jonah in the back and slouched as far as I could without slipping out of my desk. I watched as Carly walked into the class and took a seat besides Sam and in back of Freddie. Great, I have Intermediate Algebra with the Three Amigos, yay me.

Before the lecture started, I stood up and walked to the front of the class to hand my schedule to the teacher, Mr. Fisher. He was a good looking man, in his mid-30's. He had long brown hair that was pulled back into a low ponytail, and he was dressed formally in a white button down shirt that was tucked into black slacks. I waited next to his desk while he marked me down onto his attendance sheet. When he handed me my schedule I turned to walk back to my seat but he stopped me.

"So, Miss. Khem... why don't you tell the class a little something about yourself?" Fuck me now, is he really doing this to me? Now of all time? Great.

"There's nothin' much to say." I told him quietly, hoping he'd just drop it.

"Non-sense, I'm sure there's something the whole class would like to know about you." he pushed. What an asshole.

I looked towards Jonah in the back and he just shrugged his shoulders. I took a deep breath and told the whole class something they'd like to know about.

"My name's Amanda. I'm Cambodian. I'm 17, a Junior. I moved here from Long Beach. I got kicked out of my house a couple months ago because my parents found out I was gay. I have a wonderful girlfriend that I love dearly," I paused and looked at Mr. Fisher. "Do you want me to continue? I'm sure there are more things the whole class would just DIE to know more about." I told him sarcastically.

He gave me once over then said something that made my jaw drop. "Sure, if you'd like."

Are you serious? This teacher must be really dumb. I looked around the class and I'm sure everyone was thinking the same thing I was, because almost everyones expression was like mine. I forced out a smile and said through gritted teeth, "No, it's fine." I turned on my heel and marched to back to my seat. "What a doofus," I said to Jonah as I sat down.

"Uh huh." was the response I got from Jonah.

I sat anxiously in my seat waiting for the bell to ring. I watched and waited until the second hand ticked slowly passed the twelve. When the bell finally rang I was the first person out of the class. "See you at my house!" I threw over my shoulder at Jonah as I practically pushed and shoved my way through the students that were still putting their stuff away. When I was finally in the hallway I stopped, took a deep breath, and felt better. I was about to continue my journey further away from this classroom when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I was expecting to see Jonah when I turned around, but instead I came face to face with Carly, Sam and Freddie. My surprised expression was replaced with a blank face instantly. "Yeah?" I grunted out.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Carly said softly.

"Yeah, sorry about what happened to you," Sam added, obviously not knowing what Carly was sorry about.

I tilted my head to the side and concentrated on the two girls in front of me. "No, it's fine. I don't care. It's whatever." I turned and started walking to my next class. I heard Carly quickly dismiss her two friends and distinctly heard her footsteps follow me.

I turned a corner and once again felt a hand on my shoulder. I stopped walking and took in another deep breath. "What do you want now?" I asked, slightly irritated.

"Look, I'm really really sorry about my actions earlier alright?" she begged. "I just overreacted." I swiftly turned on my heel and stared her straight in the eyes.

"If you're gonna overreact every time you find out somethin' new and disturbin' about me, just stop apologizing right now. I'm warnin' you, there are things that would disturb the shit outta you. So if you're gonna keep on reacting the way you do, just turn around and pretend like we never even met." I told her heatedly, taking a step towards her. She took a step back, and I took another step towards her. This happened until her back was flat against a row of lockers.

I trapped her with my arms on either side of her face, I pushed down with my forearms on her shoulders until she was eye to eye with me. "I'm gonna tell you this once, and only once. I'm not like most girls, I don't tolerate stupidity in my life. The rate you're goin', you'll be out of my life before you even get a chance to be in it. So, if you're gonna keep actin' the way you are, I suggest you stay completely out of my way before I lose what little patience I have left and go crazy on you." I tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before pulling away. "Understand?" I asked her softly.

She nodded her head yes and dropped her eyes to the ground between us. "I'm sorry." I shook my head and walked to my next class.

I sat all the way in the back and rested my head on my arms immediately after I sat down. I felt someone pull on my hair, when I looked up it was Rodney. "What the hell, you're in this class too?" I asked him. He nodded his head. "Wow, I didn't know you were smart enough." I told him playfully.

"Look who's talking Miss. Gang Banger. " he retorted, taking a seat on the left of me.

"Just because I'm a gang banger doesn't mean I'm not smart, Con Artist." I defended. He rolled his eyes.

"I am not a Con Artist!" he exclaimed. "I just like to rip people off."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You and me both, that's why you're my best friend." I told him. He grew a wide smile on his face like he was proud. I just shook my head with a grin on my face and paid attention to the teacher who just walked into the class. Not wanting to have the spotlight on me again, I decided to wait until after class to talk to him.

His name was Dr. Barth, and he was an old man. When he first started the lecture, kids were cracking jokes about his age he just laughed it off and said "yeah I know, I can't believe I'm about to celebrate my seventh decade of living." _SEVENTH DECADE? Isn't that like 70 years old?_ I asked myself. He didn't even look that old, he looked like he was in his 50's.

His class was actually interesting and I actually paid attention! That's the first this whole day. I thought Physics was gonna be another math class, but before class even started he turned on the overhead projector and made us chant "This Is Not a Math Class." and it damn sure wasn't. Their were steps you had to take before even plugging in measurements. I loved this class, and put it on my favorite subjects list halfway through the class.

I was still working on a problem even when the bell rang. I was snapped out of my Physics world when Rodney poked my sides.

"Let's go Shorty, the bell just rang." he said standing beside my desk. When I looked around we were the only two students left.

"Oh shit, just go first. I need to talk to the teacher. I'll see you at my house." I told him. He just said something about going to his house first and left.

When I was done packing my things I walked up to the teacher and handed him my schedule. "Ahh, Miss. Khem, I've heard a lot about you." he said as he was looking over my schedule. I gave him a weird look.

"What do you mean?" I slowly asked him

"Seems like your teachers have taken a liking to you already." he replied.

"Everyone of them except Briggs." I said under my breath.

"Yes, everyone except Ms. Briggs," he said with a laugh. "that woman never really liked children anyway, so don't worry about her."

I gave him a small smile and decided that he was my favorite teacher already. "I'll do just that, sir." He handed me my schedule back and told me to get going. I did as I was told and found myself in the parking lot.

On the way home I thought about all that happened on this one day and realized that it really was going to be an interesting school year. Wiping the thought of what the future has in store for me, I thought of right now and just decided to take what life handed me.

Right now, standing in front of my two bedroom, two and a half bathroom house, life was handing me a new life, and I was gonna take it and make the best of it.

**A/N: yea, I don't know. It's complete rubbish to me, but I had to give you all a little background on my Shorty character and how she's good friends with Jonah and Rodney. I promise there'll be more action from the iCarly members soon. Thank you for taking time out of your busy life to read this! Please review and tell me what you think.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly, anything you recognize in here doesn't belong to me.**

**A/N: It's been a while hasn't it? Sorry, been busy with exams and all that. College is whack =( uhhh, well enjoy this chapter and tell me what you think!**

**CHAPTER 6**

The first week of school was finally over for me. It was finally Friday and right now I'm currently laying on my stomach on Jonah's bed. My face is buried in his pillow and I inhale a deep breath. I was greeted with the smell of his Cool Water cologne and Axe body wash. I sat up and deeply exhaled, "Dude, you smell good for someone funny lookin'," I told him with a smirk.

He looked up from his computer and glared at me. "I do _not_ look funny!" he said like he was offended, turning his attention back to the computer screen. Getting curious as to what he was looking at on the Internet, I stood up and sat on the stool next to him.

_What a pervert!_ I thought to myself. He was staring at pictures of half naked girls on SplashFace. "Dude, what the hell..." I trailed off. He jumped slightly after he noticed I was sitting right next to him, "you seriously need to get laid."

He glared at me again, "Shut up, asshole! I don't get some whenever I want, alright?"

"And I do?" I asked. He nodded slowly. "Are you stupid? I haven't gotten any in months," I said smacking him on the side of his head. His hand automatically shot up to where I smacked him, and he soothingly rubbed it. "Sorry, forgot you don't have many brain cells left." I apologized.

"Look who's talkin'!" he exclaimed. I tilted my head to the side and furrowed my eyebrows in a 'what the hell are you talking about' kind of way. "You do know drinking kills brain cells right?" he questioned.

"OOOH, it don't matter." I said, "I still have more brain cells than you, dummy." I stated teasingly.

"Yeah, I know." he mumbled looking away from me and at the screen again. I laughed a little at how childish he was acting. "Shut up, it's not funny." he shot at me.

"Truth hurts, don't it?" I asked him. He turned to me and stuck his tongue out then focused on the computer screen again. I breathed out a small laugh and stood up. "Where's Rip-Off at? I thought we were gonna chill before I went to work" I asked.

"He said he had somethin' to do." Jonah replied. "He'll probably be here in a little bit."

"Too bad, I have to leave in like..." I trailed off to look at the clock on Jonahs drawer next to his bed, "ten minutes." I stated. It was already 8:30pm and I needed to be at work by nine if I wanted to get things done on time.

"Why can't your aunt let you have this weekend off?" Jonah sighed, "you've been workin' your ass off every weekend since you've moved here. There's a party tonight too!" he said.

"Gotta do what I gotta do to make bank man." I told him sadly.

My aunt owned a donut shop, that was open 24 hours, in downtown Seattle and gave me the job as her weekend baker since she knew I used to help my dad when I lived in Long Beach. My uncle was getting old and needed some days off to relax, so I was happy to help. She gave me $100 a night, so the pay was great, but the hours were a little overwhelming. I worked from nine at night to seven in the morning, sometimes I worked for 12 hours straight. It was crazy, but I put up with it because I needed the money. The fact she let me stay with her until I found my own place was also another reason I decided to take the job. I worked twice a week; Friday nights and Saturday nights. I guess you could say I didn't have a life since I spent most of my weekend sleeping after work.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Try to take next weekend off, I heard there was gonna be another party." Jonah said, breaking me from my trance.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure." I said standing up to stretch. "Tell Rodney I said he's a douche for flakin' out on us." I said with a yawn. "If I knew he wasn't gonna chill, I would've just went home to sleep."

"Are you tryin' to imply that I'm boring?" Jonah asked defensively.

"Nahhh man, you're just not fun." I told him with a smile, he just gave me a glare. "Alright then, I'm out. Stop by the donut shop later, I'll hook you guys up with some donuts."

-

'Ding dong.' I heard the alarm chime when someone walked into the shop. I stopped what I was doing and looked at the clock on the wall; 12 am. "Comin!" I yelled out to the customer from the back. I walked to the sink and rinsed my flour covered hands. I pulled a napkin from the dispenser and dried my hands before I walked through the threshold that divided the kitchen from customer eyes. "What can I get for you?" I asked politely grabbing a tong before looking up. I was surprised by what I saw.

"Uh, yeah..." Carly trailed off staring at me in surprise. "Can I get a Ham and Cheese croissant?" she finally asked when the surprise wore off.

"Sure," I said grabbing a white paper bag, "would you like it heated?" she nodded her head. I grabbed a Ham and Cheese croissant with the tong and put it in the bag. "I'll be back." I said before walking to the back and placing the bag in the microwave, setting the timer for 45 seconds. I stood there waiting for the timer to ding, tapping my foot impatiently. When it was heated I pulled the bag out and walked back to the front. "Would that be all?" I asked putting the bag on the counter.

"Can I get a small coffee too?" I nodded my head. I turned around to the counter behind me and noticed that the coffee wasn't made.

"I'm gonna have to make some more, can you wait? It'll take like six minutes." I informed her.

"Yeah, sure." she said taking the white bag and sat at one of the tables. "I didn't know you worked here." she said when I was done setting up the coffee machine.

"I've been workin' here for awhile now." I said, turning around to face her.

"Really?" I nodded my head, placing my forearms on the counter and leaned forward. "I'm always here, I've never seen you."

"I only work on Friday and Saturday nights." I told her.

"Oooh, no wonder. I always come here before school. Rose always gives me free donut holes." she told me with a smile.

"Yeah, my aunt is cool like that." I said returning her smile. "What are you doin' here so late?" I asked her.

"I just came from a party with no food." she said with a frown on her face. My smile grew even more.

"Yeah, I hate parties like that too." I said with a laugh. "You drive here or someone's waitin' for you in the car?"

"I've never seen you at parties before," she said. "and my brother's in the car waiting for me. I don't know how to drive yet."

"I am appalled," I gasped, grabbing on my white apron where my heart would be. "why don't you know how to drive yet?" I asked. "and I haven't been to a party in Seattle yet, but I've been to plenty in Long Beach."

She giggled a little before answering, "My brother's a sculpting artist and he's been working on a new project, he doesn't have time to teach me." she explained to me. I nodded my head in understanding.

'Beep, beep, beep... beep, beep, beep.' the coffee maker beeped when the pot was filled. I turned around to the other counter and pulled out a small cup where it was stacked on top of each other. I reached with my other hand to grab the coffee pot. I poured her a cup and put it on the counter next to the register when it was filled. I placed the coffee pot in its holder and turned to the register, punching in the prices.

"That'll be five dollars," I told her. She looked at the price screen and raised an eyebrow.

"Five dollars?" she asked, "but the thingy says three dollars." she said pointing at the price screen.

"Two dollars for the Ham and Cheese, a dollar for the small coffee, and the rest for tip!" I said with a smirk on my face.

She just shook her head with a smile on her face and said, "Fine, whatever." She gave me a five dollar bill and when I gave her the change she put it in the tip jar. She grabbed her small drink and walked to the other side of the store where another counter was for the cream, sugar, straws, and lids. I just stood there and watched her while she mixed her coffee to how she wanted it. I held back a laugh when she took a sip of her coffee but made a face when the coffee burnt her tongue. Carly turned to look at me and stuck her tongue out, I just smiled at her.

"Hey," I said before she walked out the store, she turned to look at me again. "If you need someone to teach you how to drive, I'll teach you." I told her. She tilted her head slightly to the right in thought, then she nodded her head.

"Sure, I'd like that." she told me. "and if you want, I'll take you to some parties."

"Deal." I said. "I'll see you around, I needa get back to work."

"Okay, have a good night." she threw over her shoulder before walking out the store.

"You too!" I yelled out after her. I waited until I heard a car start and leave before turning to go back inside the kitchen.

-

"SHOOOOOOOOORTY!" I heard a guy yell before the door chimed. I stopped what I was doing and looked at the clock again, 3am.

"Hold on!" I yelled back. I finished cooking the batch of twisted raised donuts I was frying and put it on the glazing tray. I carefully poured the glaze over the donuts and went to the sink to wash my hands. When I walked to the front of the store I saw Rodney and Jonah literally passed out on the table tops. "What the hell," I said loudly so they could hear me. They didn't budge. Sighing, I walked pass the swinging doors separating the sitting area from the display area and went up to them. I tried to shove them, pull their hair, and pinch their sides but nothing woke them up. I shook my head and walked behind the counter towards the kitchen. I filled a cup with cold water and smirked at what I was about to do.

Right when I was about to pour the cold water on them my aunt walked through the door. I stopped abruptly when I saw her, causing some water to splash out of the cup. "Good Mornin', Auntie." I greeted. Aunt Rose was a plump woman in her mid-50's. She had black hair with streaks of gray in it. She was a really great woman, very down to earth, and was willing to help anyone who asked.

"What are you doing?" she asked me in Khmer (Cambodia's language). She looked between me and the two boys in disbelief.

"They won't wake up," I replied to her in Khmer. "I tried pushin' them, pullin' their hair, and pinchin' them. Nothin's workin'," I explained to her.

"You don't know anything, girl." she told me, "this is how you do it." She bent down close to their ears and shouted "WAKE UP!!!!!!" they visibly flinched but didn't even bat an eyelash. I gave her a smirk which she didn't like at all. "Give me that," she said while reaching for the cup in my hand. I gladly gave it to her with a grin on my face.

I watched as both Jonah and Rodney sat up gasping for air as if they were holding their breath under water for more than a minute. "Wh-what was that for?!" Rodney said through chattering teeth.

"For passing out on my table, now get up before a customer walks in and sees you guys." Aunt Rose told them in her Asian accent. "You," she said looking back at me, "get back to work, you still have donuts to make." Rose was a very nice and down to earth person, but when things weren't going how she wanted it to be, she could be a control freak.

"Yes, Auntie." I mumbled. "Thanks a lot guys!" I gave them a glare before sulking back into the kitchen. They gave me sheepish smiles before getting off of the tables.

"What about our donuts?" I heard Jonah ask. I shook my head in disbelief.

"How about a fist in your face?" I called back. I heard them chuckle before asking my aunt for some donuts.

-

"Hey Auntie?" I said nervously in Khmer. She turned to give me her attention. "Do you think I can get next weekend off? Jonah and Rodney wants to take me out..." I trailed off. I waited for a couple seconds but didn't get a response. "If you want me to work I can. I could always go out next time."

"No it's fine, honey." she told me. "You deserve a weekend off, you've been helpful since you moved here." I gave her a small smile. "You can have next weekend off too, I know you're gonna be in Long Beach for Thanksgiving, so just relax and enjoy your break." My smile grew even wider.

"Thank you, Auntie!" I said excitedly, pulling her in for a hug. I held on for a little longer than I thought I would. It felt great to hug someone related to me, especially her. She was my motherly figure now so enjoyed that hug as if she were my real mom. I felt her hug me back and leaned into her some more. I don't know why, but I started getting teary eyed. I guess I really did miss my mom...

"Oh honey, don't cry." Aunt Rose said, rubbing my back when she felt my shoulders tremble. "You miss your mom don't you?" she asked me softly. I nodded my head into her shoulders. "It's okay honey, she'll come around eventually. You know she loves you, she's just having a hard time accepting the fact that her only daughter is gay." she reasoned with me.

"I know, it's just hard." I muttered. "I miss her, and daddy, and my brothers so much." I felt another wave of tears come. I grabbed onto her even tighter and balled my eyes out.

"She misses you too honey," she said, running her fingers through my hair. "She always asks about you when we're on the phone." I lifted my head up and looked at her hopefully.

"Really?" I asked. She nodded her head.

"Really."

-

It's Monday morning now and I feel dead even though I slept all day and night on Sunday. After I got home from work I took a nice long therapeutic shower and fell asleep instantly when my head hit the pillow. I couldn't really sleep though, images of my mom and dad angry at me kept popping up into my head. I tossed and turned all night.

"Hey." I hear from behind me. I finish putting books in my locker before turning around and seeing Carly.

"Wassup?" I asked her, a little surprised. I leaned my back against the lockers and stared at her. Before this past weekend we avoided each other, but I guess we were acquaintances now? I don't know, but I really am surprised at seeing her stand in front of me.

"I was wondering if you were really going to teach me how to drive." she said nervously. I tilted my head to the side and looked at her.

"Of course..." I said, "unless you don't want me to?" I asked her. She shook her head quickly.

"Yes! I mean, I do want you to teach me...?" I gave her a weird look.

"Oookay..." I trailed off.

"How about today after school?" she asked. I shook my head.

"Sorry, can't. I gotta work." she looked at me confused.

"I thought you only worked Friday and Saturday nights?" she asked me suspiciously like I was lying to her. I laughed a little at the tone in her voice. She raised an eyebrow at me.

"I work at the Foot Locker at the mall on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays." I told her. Yeah, I'm a workaholic. Ever since I moved I've been working my ass off to make money the _legal_ way. "How 'bout tomorrow after school?"

"Okay, that's fine too." she said some what disappointedly. I gave her another look before the bell rang and shook me from my thoughts.

"Alright then, I'll see you in class." I said before turning around to close my locker door and grab my backpack off the floor.

"Okay, see ya later." I heard her say.

I turned and walked towards my first period class. For some reason, I felt eyes burning into the back of my head. I didn't expect to see Carly standing there turning away abruptly when I turned my head to look back. Shaking all thoughts from my head I continued walking to class.

**A/N: WHOOO! It's almost 5am, and I should be sleeping right now. Maybe that's why I'm always falling asleep in class. Anywhos... read, review, and tell me what you think. Hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly or a black 1998 Ford Mustang.**

**A/N: blah blah blah .. Fall Semester is finally OVER! I am DUNZO with SCHOOL YO! until the 26th of January that is xD, I'm so excited! Since I'm on my break, I think I should be putting out quicker updates, we'll see how active I am though. Anywhos, in this chapter you basically have Shorty/Amanda and Carly interacting with each other some more. Happy Reading.**

**CHAPTER 7**

"No way!" Jonah exclaimed. "You're gonna teach Carly Shay how to drive?" he asked me incredulously.

"Yeah..." I said slowly, nodding my head. "What's the problem? I'm just teachin' her how to drive." He gave me a wide-eyed look.

"_What's the problem_? Are you seriously asking me that? Is she seriously asking me that?" he asked turning his attention to Rodney. Rodney just shrugged his shoulders. "She's like _the_ Carly Shay man! All the jocks have been trying to get in her pants, nerds are even drooling over her. Being able to _teach_ her how to drive would boost your popularity through the roof." he said excitedly. I pushed him into the locker by his shoulder, earning a glare in return. I just shook my head at him.

"I'm not tryin' to get into her pants, dumbass. I'm not tryin' to be popular either, I could care less about that shit." I told him through my teeth, "I'm just tryin' to be nice and teach a person how to drive."

Jonah scoffed and Rodney looked at him like he was a dumbass. "Yeah, if you had a stick shift you'd try to teach her how to drive that." he said with a wink. I pushed him even harder into the locker and balled his shirt into a fist.

"Listen, you dumbfuck. I already told you I have a girlfriend that I fuckin' love!" I growled out, "Stop bein' a fuckin' prick and get your head outta the gutter. You might be my best friend, but I swear on Buddha if you say somethin' dumb _one more time_ I'll throw you all the way to Antarctica." I threatened seriously. He seemed to understand it too, because his eyes went wide and his breathing quickened. I still had him pinned against the lockers until I felt a hand on my forearm.

"Alright Shorty, let 'em go, you're causin' a scene." I took my gaze off of Jonah and looked around, sure enough I seemed to have caused _another_ group of kids to circle around me. I frowned at Rodney and he just nodded his head. I loosened the grip I had on Jonah's shirt and he slid down the lockers onto the floor.

"Fuck," I sighed, "don't tell me he passed out." I stood over his body and looked at him. I nudged him on the shoulders with my shoe, but he didn't stir. "Fuckin' pussy." I said under my breath. I looked up and noticed that the kids were still surrounding us. "Don't you kids have somethin' better to do?!" I yelled out, "Leave now or you'll end up like him." Everyone quickly turned and shuffled out the school building.

"C'mon, lets get him outta here before a teacher sees." Rodney said, stooping down to grab onto Jonah's left arm, leaving me with his right arm. We both pulled him up and put his arms around our shoulders, dragging him out of the school. When we finally got him in the passenger side of Rodney's 1998 black Ford Mustang, we stood up straight and let out a sigh of relief. "He can be a real douche sometimes, huh?" Rodney asked, closing the passenger side door.

"I just think he needs a girlfriend, he really needs to get laid." I said with a laugh.

"Yeah, like gettin' laid solves all the problems." Rodney scoffed.

"It could work." I said with a smile. "I'll see you guys later, I needa get to work."

"Have fun. Drive safely, and don't pick up strangers, no matter how hot they are. It's the hot ones that are the craziest." he tried to sound serious.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll keep that in mind. When Jonah wakes up tell him I'm not done with him yet."

"Sure, bye."

"Bye."

--

It was the end of the day and I was standing at my locker pulling books I needed into my baby blue jansport backpack. "What do you want Jonah?" I asked without even having to look back to know it was him. I could feel the fear and nervousness radiating off of him.

"I-I .. how did you know it was me?" he asked nervously.

"Hello, gang member here," I wildly gestured at my whole being when I finally turned to face him. "I'm supposed to be aware of my surroundin's." I stated matter of factly.

"Oh yeah," he blushed. "Well, I just wanted to say how sorry I am for acting like an idiot yesterday." he apologized quietly.

"It took you a whole school day to apologize to me for your stupidity?" he nodded his head. "Well, I accept your apology, but take it as a warnin'. Next time I'll punch you in the throat." I said sweetly. He nodded his head even faster and swallowed the lump in this throat. "Well I gotta go, I have someone that wants to learn how to drive, I'll see you later." I patted him a little roughly on his back and took off towards the student parking lot.

--

Right when I walked outside the school building, I saw Carly standing there talking to Sam and Freddie. Sam was faced in my direction while both Freddie and Carly had their backs to me. Sam saw me and I knew she was going to inform Carly of my arrival, but I put a finger to my lips and gestured for her to keep quiet. She just smiled slightly and nodded her head once. I quietly snuck up behind Carly and yelled "BOO!" while digging my fingers slightly into her sides. Both Sam and I doubled over laughing as soon as Carly and Freddie practically jumped 10ft in the air. We were both still laughing uncontrollably while Carly and Freddie stood there giving us death glares.

"Whoo, I'm sorry Carly, but that was too hard to pass up the opportunity to scare you." I said with a sheepish grin. I turned my attention to Sam and gave her a high five. "I think you and I, we make a great team." I told her with a radiant smile.

"I think so too." she said with a smile matching mine.

"Ahem," I heard Carly clearing her throat, I turned my attention back towards her. "So, shall we get going then?" she asked me politely.

"Yeah, sure." I said nodding my head. I turned my attention back to Sam and Freddie, "Do you guys need rides?"

"No, my mom's picking me up." Freddie replied. I turned my gaze to Sam.

"Well, I usually walk with Carly to her place, but I guess I could call my mom." Sam said a little uneasily, like she didn't _want_ to call her mom.

"It's fine, I can drop you off wherever you want, or you can come with us." I said, "Two lessons for the price of one." I gave her a reassuring smile. She returned it, but quickly dropped it when she gazed at Carly. I frowned and looked back to Carly, who had an innocent look on her face. "Somethin' wrong?" I asked Sam.

"No, every thing's fine. I'll just ride with Fredward here to Carly's place." she said quickly.

"But I didn't ask if you wanted a ride!" Freddie whined.

"Too bad, you're giving me one anyways." Sam snapped back at him. I held in a chuckle when she turned her attention to me.

"You sure? I have a full gas tank, I'll be more than happy to drop you off." I tried to persuade her. I don't even know why I was doing it in the first place, I just got this vibe that I _wanted_ her around. You know when you meet someone and you get certain types of vibes from them? Well the one I got whenever Sam was around were good ones. Should I be worried?

"I'm sure. I'll ride with Dorkwad." she stated. I felt my spirits deflate a little, but didn't show it. Instead I turned to Carly.

"Alright then Miss. Shay, shall we head out?" I asked in a British accent, she just gave me a small smile and nodded her head. I held out my arm for her with a small bow and she linked her arm with mine. "See you guys tomorrow." I threw over my shoulder. I heard them throw "bye" back at me.

"So what's the plan?" Carly asked once we were securely strapped into our seats.

"I was thinkin' of takin' you to my neighborhood," she gave me a weird look, "it's quiet there, not a lot of kids or cars around. You need to learn the basic stuff first." I explained. She just nodded her head. "Does that sound okay to you?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's fine." she answered.

"Let's get goin' then!" I said excitedly.

--

"Is this your house?" she asked surprised, as I pulled into my driveway.

"Yeah, it's not much, but I call it home." I answered her proudly.

"You're kidding me right? Your house is like smack dab in the middle of the best neighborhood in Seattle." she said like I should've known better.

"Really, it's nothing but a simple house." I told her, desperately trying to change the subject. "Do you want a tour of the house?" I asked her. She gave me an "uhh, duh!" look. I just laughed a little and walked towards my front door with her right behind me.

When we walked inside I heard her gasp. I didn't see what the big deal was, I mean sure, I lived in a pretty nice neighborhood with green grass on every lawn and my living room was something out of HGTV, but that's nothing, right? The walls were painted a calming and relaxing light green. The soft plush rug was an inviting light brown color, and I had black leather sofas pushed up to the walls with a matching black coffee table in the middle that had random magazines thrown on it. There was a 32" flat screen T.V hanging on the wall opposite the sofas, and a fireplace on the adjacent wall next to it. There were two book shelves on either side of the fire place packed with all kinds of books. There was a big blown up picture of my family framed and set right on top of the fire place. I had a lot of pictures that were framed and hanging on every wall in the house.

I walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door, "would you like somethin' to drink?" I asked her like the nice host I was. She walked over to where I was and peeked inside my fridge. I heard her try to hold in a small laugh. "What?" I asked a little offended.

"You only have liquor in your fridge!" she exclaimed.

"No I don't! I have a juice box, a gallon of milk, bottles of water, lots of Peppy-Cola, left over chicken, and left over Cambodian food!" I defended lamely, even though she was right. Beer bottles and various jugs of hard liquor took up 70% of my fridge.

"Yeah right, and someday I'm gonna marry Shia LaBeouf." she mocked me. I turned my head to glare at her. "I'll just have a Peppy-Cola." she ordered sweetly. I grabbed a can for her and one for myself. "How many rooms do you have?" she asked as I handed her a can.

"Uhhh, two bedrooms." I answered. "One's my room and the other is like a game room/guest room/study/office." I explained, and yes I actually said slash. She looked at me with raised eyebrows.

"How can one room possibly be all those things?" she questioned. I gave her a toothy smile.

"Follow me and you'll seeeeeeee..." I said with excitement in my voice. She just tilted her pretty face slightly to the side and gave me a confused look, as if I was crazy. "C'mon, I'll show you." I took her wrist into my hand and led her to the game room/guest room/study/office. We walked the short distance to the room and I heard her gasp again. I turned around to face her and smiled when I saw her surprised facial expression. "Jeez, if you're gonna be like this every time I show you a room, I don't think I wanna show you my room." I laughed.

"I'm sorry, but you're house is wonderful." she gasped. I guess she was right. This room was pretty cool. The walls were burgundy and had many picture frames on them. There were also posters of Kobe Bryant in his white Laker's jersey, Jessica Alba in a swim suit, and signs that my friends made for me that were pinned to the walls. In one corner of the room, next to the large window, was a computer desk that had my laptop sitting on it, in the other corner there were different colored bean bags piled on top of eachother. There was a futon formed in the seating position pushed up against the wall in the middle, and it was facing the entertainment area. I had another 32" flat screen T.V sitting on a black table, with matching shelves on the sides. Some shelves were packed with books while others had picture frames and assorted trophies on it, the shelves nearest to the floor were packed with all kinds of games.

Underneath the table were a variety of game consoles; old consoles such as the Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Dream Cast, Nintendo 64; newer consoles like the Nintendo Wii and the X-box 360. "Whoa!" she exclaimed when she saw my collection of consoles, "these are so old! I haven't seen one of these in years, how do you still have one?" she asked, gently picking up the Super Nintendo with one hand, while fingering the Sega Genesis with the other.

"I just happened to come across one and couldn't not take it." I said with a shrug of my shoulders. In reality my cousins broke into someones house while they were away for the weekend and jacked them. They didn't know what to do with it, they couldn't take it home because their parents would know how they got it, so they gave it to me since my parents didn't know I was a gang banger at the time. "C'mon I'll show you my room." I said, breaking her out of her awe. She delicately put the console down and got up.

I was surprised when I didn't get a gasp when we entered my room. I turned around to look at her and she had an amused expression on her face.

"Well, this is a change." she said.

"Yeah, I know. Isn't it?" I laughed. "No one really steps inside this room, besides me, so I kept it simple." I stated. It was an ordinary room, except the walls were painted a bluish/purplish color. All it had was a full sized bed, a small bedside table with a single framed picture right next to it, and a matching drawer on the opposite side. I watched as she walked to the bedside table and pick the framed picture up.

"Who's this?" she asked curiously.

"Me and my girlfriend." I informed her with a smile. In the picture, we had our backs to the camera and we were holding hands walking down the beach towards the sunset. It was my favorite picture of us.

"How long have you guys been together?"

"A while now," I started, "I tell people we've been together for two years, but we got together the end of my freshmen year. So almost two years." I explained.

"Oh, cool. Sounds like you really love her." it was more of a statement than a question.

"Chyea, my world would fall apart if she was to leave me." I admitted. I shook my head from thoughts of my girlfriend and focused on Carly. "C'mon, I think it's time to teach you how to drive now."

--

"Thanks for teaching me how to drive." Carly said as I pulled over in front of the Bushwell building. "Sorry about crashing into the trashcan... and your mailbox." she said looking down with a blush.

"It's fine. I wasn't expectin' you to be a perfect first time driver." I said with a laugh. She seemed to relax a little bit. "Just work on gettin your permit and I'll teach you some more." I told her when I stopped laughing.

"Thanks again." she said before opening the door. She was about to get out when she stopped and turned to look at me. "Do you have any other plans for today?" she asked. I thought for a minute.

"Nahh," I replied, shaking my head. I looked at the clock and it was barely 5:30pm. "The night's still young. I think imma just go to Rodney's or Jonah's house and eat all their food. Why wassup?"

"Oh, well. I was just wondering if you weren't doing anything... if you wanted to come upstairs and hang out for a bit." she said slowly. "I think my brother would want to thank you for taking time to teach me." I thought her offer over for a bit and realized I might as well. I saw Rodney and Jonah everyday, one night with out them would be fine.

"Yeah, sure. Just let me park properly, I don't wanna get a ticket."

--

"Spencer! I'm home." Carly yelled as we walked into her apartment.

"Yeah, I know!" a voice yelled back, "I'm sitting right here!" I completely walked into the apartment and saw Freddie sitting on the couch next to an older looking man. _Must be Spencer_, I thought to myself. "And you've brought a friend!" he continued yelling, "how cool!" I just gave him a weird look.

"Don't worry about him, he's always like that." Carly assured me. I just nodded my head. I heard a noise, like plates banging on a table, coming from the other side of the room. When I looked up I saw Sam standing next to the kitchen table with a piece of bacon hanging out of her mouth, which caused me to smirk. "Don't worry about her either, she's always eating."

"I heard that!" Sam yelled from across the room. I held back a chuckle when Sam and Carly just glared at each other.

"So you must be Amanda," Spencer said as he got up to stand between the girls, breaking their glaring contest. I nodded my head, "I'm Spencer," he held out his right hand. "thanks for teaching Carly how to drive."

"Don't even worry 'bout it," I said, taking his hand in a firm grip and shaking it. "besides a few," I cleared my throat, "mistakes here and there, she's a really fast learner." He gave me a confused look.

"Mistakes?" he asked looking from me to Carly. I just smiled and nodded my head while Carly's head was down hiding a blush.

"I'll let her tell you all 'bout it." I said.

"Oh-kay." he said, not exactly happy with my answer. "Would you like to stay for dinner? I think the food's almost done, unless Sam ate it all." I just raised an eyebrow and turned my attention to Sam who either had the same piece of bacon in her mouth, or was chewing on another one.

"I heard that too!" she growled out, biting another piece of bacon viciously, staring daggers at Spencer.

"Nahh, it's fine." I rejected his offer. "Maybe next time. I was about to head over to Jonah's place and have dinner at his house." Spencer stood there in thought for a minute.

"Jonah?" I nodded my head slowly. "The Jonah that ruined my clay-mation movie?!" he asked looking from Carly to Freddie then to Sam, they all nodded their heads. "_The_ Jonah that Sam had in a Wedgie Bounce for two hours?!" They all nodded their heads enthusiastically, then busted out laughing after Spencer did. I just stood there like a dumb ass while they all laughed uncontrollably.

"Wait, wait, wait! Wait a minute." I suddenly yelled out, causing the laughter to die a bit. "Sam put Jonah in a Wedgie Bounce?!"

**A/N: I wanna thank _croaker001_ for his continuous reviews and ideas for future chapters. I'll get to them soon, until then just keep reading. Things will pick up soon. Thanks for reading.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING/ANYONE YOU RECOGNIZE.**

**A/N: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Have a safe and enjoyable day with your family and loved ones.**

**CHAPTER 8**

It was a Wednesday morning and I was walking down the school hall towards my locker. It was still early, and I was walking around half-awake. I didn't get much sleep last night because I was tossing and turning. The information I received the day before got to me, and it invaded my dreams. Sam and Jonah went out, I knew that because Jonah was all she talked about for days on end. What I didn't know was how they ended. He told me that the break up was a mutual thing, and I believed him.

Looking back now I feel like a dumb ass, because Rodney was there when Jonah told me. Rodney had a frown the whole time Jonah lied to me, I should have been more skeptical and rationalized what was being said to how Rodney was reacting.

I was pissed now. Anger was taking the place of my sleepiness and confusion. I turned around and walked to Jonah's locker. I leaned my back against his locker and waited until he showed up. It felt like forever, but he finally came. He saw me and gave me a bright smile, too bright for morning. It made me even more pissed off. I hated mornings, and he knew that. It felt like he was rubbing it in my face; that he was a morning person and I wasn't. So now he was rubbing shit in my face and a fucking liar. I just wanted to smack him, so I did.

"Ow!" Jonah yelped as I smack him upside his head, "what the fuck was that for?!" he demanded, rubbing at his head. I just gave him a death glare.

"So I heard about an 'incident' that happened to you that was broad casted nationally on a certain web show." I said calmly, even though my expression showed otherwise. His eyes went wide and he looked worried. "Anythin' you wanna tell me about?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." he replied a little too quickly. My eyebrows met in a frown and I gave him a menacing look. "Okay, okay! I'll tell you, just stop fucking smacking me." I pulled my hand back and made it seem like I was going to smack him again. "SHORTY! Please don't! I'm sorry!"

"Why did you do it for?" I asked him, lowering my hand down. He visibly relaxed as my hand was at my side.

"I don't know, it was like a sudden urge came over me," he started, "I thought Carly was jealous and wanted me so I did what I did." he said quietly.

"So you wanted to cheat on Sam with her best friend because you _thought_ she wanted you?" I asked him incredulously. He nodded his head in shame. "Why didn't you tell me about this?" I questioned him quietly.

"Cuz, I knew how much you hated cheaters, and I didn't want you to hate me." he explained in a quiet voice. I just shook my head and gave him a disappointing look.

"So you thought I wasn't gonna find out?" he nodded his head. "You're a fuckin' dumb ass, you know that?" he nodded his head again. "This is high school! Shit gets around, I was bound to find out one way or another. Even if it happened in the eighth grade, you know shit like that follows you every where."

"Yeah, I know. I was just hoping you'd find out, I don't know... when I was dead?" he said. I just narrowed my eyes at him.

"Jonah, dumb ass, listen okay? You're my best friend and I fuckin' love you, but sometimes you piss me off so much I just wanna rip your head off." He looked at me scared. "Next time you have a sudden 'urge' squash that shit and think before you do anythin' stupid, okay?" he nodded his head. "I don't know Sam a lot, but I know you fucked up somethin' that coulda been beautiful."

"Yeah, I know, but I can't go back in time now. What's done is done, I can't do shit about it." he said sadly. "I regret what I did. I was dumb and young and big headed and I fucked up, okay? I know I did."

"At least you admit you have a big head." I said playfully, trying to break the tension. He laughed despite his emotions. "Look. I love you, right?" he nodded his head, "and you know I only want what's best for you, right?" he nodded his head again, "so as your best friend, I am tellin' you to not fuck up another relationship again, got it?" he gave me a sad smile.

"Yeah, I got it."

"Good."

--

It was finally the end of the school day and being deprived of sleep was finally getting to me. My head was inside my locker, propped up by my chin. I was seriously thinking of falling asleep like that when someones voice woke me up.

"Hey." I knew that voice, but in my sleepiness I couldn't place a name to it just yet.

I slowly lifted my head up, which took a lot of work by the way, and turned around. I saw a female figure standing in front of me. My eyes were blurred and I couldn't see her face. I shut my eyes hard and shook my head. I opened and shut my eyes a few times until my vision came back.

"Oh, wassup Sam." I finally said when I could see her clearly.

"Nothing, really." she said. "I just wanted to say thanks." she looked down as I gave her a confused look.

"Thanks? Thanks for what?" I asked, clearly confused. I don't remember doing anything for her. Unless I did, but forgot. Nahh, I really didn't do anything for her.

"I got here early this morning, which is a rare occurrence, and kinda sorta heard the conversation you had with Jonah." she said, still not looking at me.

"Oooh," I said, still some what confused. "Uhhh, why are you thankin' me for?" I asked.

"For setting him straight," she explained, "I thought the Wedgie Bounce would do the job, but I guess it takes the power of friendship to really get things through to him."

"OOOH!" I said, finally getting what she was thanking me for. "It's no problem. I'm sorry I didn't set him straight earlier. If I knew what he done a long time ago, he woulda been on his knees begging you for forgiveness the night of the day it happened." I scrunched up my nose, that didn't even make sense to me. "Did that make any sense at all?" I asked with a frown.

She looked up at me and gave me a small smile that made me un-scrunch my nose and smile too. "Yeah, that made sense." she said with a laugh. "So I heard there's a party this weekend..." she trailed off. '_Is she tryin' to hint somethin' here? Maybe she wants to ask me to go with her._' I thought to myself. '_Yeah, right! She's just tryin' to make small talk._' I reasoned with myself.

"Yeah, Johnny's party. He invited me yesterday in math class." I said. "Are you goin'?" I asked her.

"No," she said sadly, "I wasn't invited." I looked at her shocked. "I tend to start stuff at parties so I don't really get invited to any." she explained when she saw my facial expression.

"Well that's about to change." I said confidently. "You can go with me," I said with a smile.

"We barely know each other, but you'd take me to a party where I wasn't invited?" she asked some what skeptically.

"Sure, why not? If anythin' happens, I'll pay for the damage that you've done." I assured her. "You could be my date!" I said a little too excitedly.

"Your date?" she asked flatly. "Don't you have a girlfriend?" my excited-ness seemed to dim.

"Yeah, I've got a girlfriend, but it's not like we're goin' as a couple couple." I started to explain. "We're just goin' as two people tryin' to have some fun. Plus, I don't want to be stuck in a corner with Rodney and Jonah gettin trashed, I could do that anytime. I'd rather dance and have a good time." I finished my explanation.

"Your girlfriend trusts you enough to let you bring another girl to parties?" she questioned.

"She does actually. I love her and wouldn't do anythin' to hurt her, and she knows that I love her and wouldn't do anythin' to hurt her. I trust her and she trusts me."

"Oh, well if she wouldn't mind me going with you, then I wouldn't either." she said shyly. I felt my heart beat quicker than usual but brushed it off.

"Sweet! I won't be stuck with the two numb nutts!" I said enthusiastically, causing Sam to smile.

"You're welcome." she stated. I just gave her a smile. "Well, I gotta go. I'll see you around." she turned and was about to walk away before I spoke.

"Wait!" I basically shouted making her jump. She turned around and looked at me expectantly. "Need a ride?" I asked. She seemed to be deep in thought. "You're goin' to Carly's, right?" she nodded her head. "It's on the way home, I could give you a lift."

"Okay, sure." Sam said with a shrug of her shoulders.

--

Ten minutes later I was pulling over on the side of the Bushwell building. "Thanks for the ride." Sam said before she opened the door to get out.

"Don't even worry 'bout it." I told her as she was sliding out of the passenger seat. When she got out she leaned into the door way and looked at me. I just stared back at her waiting for her to say something.

"Would you like to come up?" she asked. I was seriously thinking of going up too, until I saw the time. It was already four o'clock and I was supposed to be at work by three thirty. When I was about to speak, my phone rang. I looked at the caller I.D and it was Jerika.

"Nahh, sorry, can't. I'm late for work and I've got an important phone call." I told her.

"It's fine, maybe next time." she said, with a certain amount of sadness in her voice, or maybe I was just thinking that. "Drive safely." I just gave her a small smile and nodded my head. When she closed my door I clicked on the talk button.

"Wassup babe?" I asked.

"_Nothin'_," Jerika answered, "_why'd it take you so long to pick up_?" I frowned a bit.

"I just dropped my friend off and we were talkin' for a lil' bit. I didn't think it was that long." I said.

"_Well it was._" she snapped at me. I frowned even more.

"What the hell crawled up your ass and died?" I snapped back at her. When she didn't respond I got angrier. "Well?!" I demanded.

"_I'm sorry, baby_." she said in a small voice. My anger started to resolve. "_School's been a bitch and I have all kinds of shit due before Thanksgiving gets here_." she explained.

"Well you don't need to take your stress out on me," I said quietly.

"_I know, I'm sorry._" she said in her small little voice. "_When are you drivin' down here?_" she asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

"Probably early Wednesday mornin'." I replied.

"_Why Wednesday mornin' and what time?_"

"Since I'm not gonna be here for Black Friday, I agreed to take extra, longer shifts until then." I explained. "and probably around 5am-ish."

"_Five in the mornin'?!_" I heard her practically yell at the phone like I was crazy. "_That's fuckin' early __babe!_"

"Yeah, I know. But the sooner I leave, the sooner I'll get there." I stated. "The sooner I get to have you in my arms."

"_Aww, you're so corny! It's cute._" she teased. I just laughed at her. "_So wait, you're not workin' for your aunt this weekend right?_" I just grunted in response. "_What are you gonna do then?_"

"Imma go party." I said excitedly. "The girl I just dropped off is gonna be my date." I slipped out. Other than the static on the phone, the other end was quiet. "Babe, you there?" I asked after what seemed like an eternity.

"_You're takin' a girl to a party?_" she asked some what hurt. I found another frown appearing on my face.

"Yeah..." I dragged out. "What's the problem, I always took other girls to parties in LB." I stated.

"_Yeah, but they were girls I knew!_" she said, raising her voice at me. "_and they knew if they tried anythin' with you, I woulda scratched their faces off_." she was yelling now.

"What the fu-." I stopped myself before I could cuss at her. In all the time we've been together, I have yet to cuss at her. I've cussed about other people and things with her, but never at her. "Calm the hell down! You swear imma cheat on you or somethin'!" I yelled back at her. "I thought you trust me?!"

"_I DO!_" she yelled. "_It's just these other girls I don't trust._" she calmed down. "_I don't know anythin' bout this girl you're takin', I'm worried, okay?_"

"Well don't trust them, but trust me!" I exclaimed. "I won't do anythin' to hurt you, Jerika. I love you and I'd never leave you for some other girl. Ever." I said calmly. "If anythin' I should worry 'bout you leavin' me. You're there by yourself and I know niggas and some girls who've been tryin to get at you since forever. I'm afraid you're gonna leave me some day and my world will fall apart." I was getting teary eyed now.

"_I'm sorry._" I frowned even more. _Sorry? Sorry for what?_ I brushed it off.

"Look, I'm late for work. My managers gonna go crazy on me, so I'll talk to you later."

"_Okay._"

"I love you."

"_You too._" I heard, followed by a click.

I pulled my cell phone off of my ear and stared at it. She didn't say 'I love you' back. She didn't say 'I love you' back. That was all that was running through my head when I drove to work.

_She didn't say 'I love you' back._

**A/N: hope you liked that one and hopefully you see where this is gonna lead too. Anyways, I need to get ready. I'm supposed to be on my way to Vegas now. MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Please, read and review. It'll be a very AWESOME present xD. I'll see you all when I get back on Saturday.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly or anything that has to do with iCarly, if I did, Carly and Sam would be together having hot steamy intimate romantic... hugs. =)**

**A/N: Who else was like NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! when they saw Freddie and Sam kissing?! That just totally broke my heart ='(, lucky Fredward for kissing Sam. I swear, the producers are out to get us CAM lovers -__-**

**CHAPTER 9**

"Hey, Amanda!" I heard an enthusiastic voice call out from behind me. I looked over my shoulder from my seated position, hunched over my lunch, and saw Carly standing right behind me with a smile on her face.

"Wassup Carly." I said, acknowledging her with a nod, the same way guys do on the streets when they pass eachother. She seemed rather put off with the way I greeted her, but still kept the smile on. "May I take a seat?" she asked, gesturing to the spot next to me. I just shrugged my shoulders and said sure. "So, there's a party this Friday! Have you heard about it?" she said after taking a seat next to me.

"Yeah, I have actually. Johnny invited me the other day in class." I confessed.

"Cool, are you going?" she asked somewhat hopeful.

"Yeah, I am actually. With Sam." I said bluntly, taking a bite of my ham sandwich.

"Sam?" she asked incredulously, "but she wasn't invited!" she exclaimed, rather loudly for a few heads to turn.

"Yeah, I know. But I'm gonna take her with me... as my date." I informed her in my most matter of fact tone.

"Who are you gonna take as your date?" Rodney asked, suddenly appearing right in front of me with a tray of food in his hands. "Don't you think Jerika's gonna get mad at you? Ya know, taking another girl to a party." he said as he took a seat right across from me and Carly.

I looked up at him and frowned at his last question. "Imma take Sam." His eyes went wide. "And I told Jerika I was gonna take Sam with me already. She _was_ mad, but she's cool with it unless I do somethin' I shouldn't be doin', ya know?" Carly and Rodney both nodded their heads in understanding. "And plus, it's just dancin' right? Nothin's wrong with dancin'," I said more to myself than them.

"Yeah, but the way you dance is pretty much dry sex." Rodney scoffed. I sent him a death glare when I heard Carly try to hide a giggle behind her hand. "What?! It's true! Remember when we went to that club for teenagers like last month?" I just nodded my head. "She was practically bumpin' and grindin' on all the girls there! It was like watchin' her have sex, but with clothes on." he said to Carly. She looked like she was gonna say something, but I cut her off before she could.

"Alright! She gets it. I'm a freak when it comes to dancin'!" I admitted. "But that's all it is! Just dancin'," I defended myself.

"Yeah right! More like 'fuck dancin'," he poked. I just rolled my eyes and called him an asshole. When I turned my attention back to Carly, she had a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"What?" I asked her skeptically.

"Nothing. I'm just thinking of how interesting this party is going to be." she said with a smirk.

--

Finally, it was Friday night and from what I heard from Jonah and his previous phone call, the party was in full swing. I just found parking across the Bushwell Plaza and I'm checking myself one last time in the rear view mirror before stepping out and going inside the building. I don't know why, but I'm some what nervous. For what reason? I have no idea. This isn't the first time I've been to a party with another girl besides Jerika, but I can't help the way it feels like there are 39287498234 butterflies in my stomach.

Before I step off the elevator, I take a deep breath hoping that'll help me calm down. It didn't. I'm in the hallway now, and when I stop in front of Carly's door, the door directly across from it swings open. "Shorty."

I turn around and was greeted with the site of Freddie looking rather... dashing in black jeans, a white button up shirt and black converses. I raised my eyebrows at him before acknowledging him, "Freddie."

"I'm guessing you're our ride to the party?" he questioned, walking to stand beside me in front of Carly's door. I just nodded my head. "Are you seriously taking Sam to the party?" he asked skeptically.

"Uh, yeah?" I answered unsure. "Somethin' wrong with that?"

"I just want to know why." he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. I tilted my head to the side and stared at him.

"Why not?" I challenged.

"Uhhh, because she's Sam?" he answered like I was crazy. I just frowned at him. "She's pushy, abrasive, and obnoxious!"

"And your point is...." I trailed off. He just scowled at me.

"She's not like most girls."

"Maybe that's a good thing."

"I thought you had a girlfriend?"

"Why does that matter to you?"

"Because Sam is one of my best friends, and even though she always picks on me and abuses me I don't want to see her get hurt!" he yelled at me. Wow, I was impressed. I didn't think he had it in him to actually defend someone. I stood there in shocked silence while Carly's door swung open and Freddie stormed inside.

I guess I stood there for a while, because I distinctively saw the outline of someones arm waving in my face. Pulling out of my shocked state, I turned towards the door and was blown away with the person standing in front of me. I don't know why though, I mean she was just in red skinny jeans, and a white v-neck shirt, completed with some true white authentic vans. She was dressed casually, but she still looked like something out of the _Teen Vogue_ magazines.

"Sexy..." I said, a little out of breath.

"Uh, thanks." Sam said, ducking her head and hiding her face using her hair. I snapped out of my reverie and looked past her shoulders to see Spencer working on some rubber band sculpture made out of... rubber bands, Freddie was sitting on the couch looking deep in thought, and I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I counted six steps from the bottom of the stairs to the door, until I saw Carly.

"Lookin' good Carly." I complimented her. She was dressed casually as well in black skinny jeans and a light blue shirt that had 'dirty shirty' written on it. "Wassup Spence!" I called out loud to him all the way in the kitchen. He just looked up and gave me a small smile.

"Lookin' good yourself." she threw back at me. I looked down at what I chose to wear and scoffed. I wore true white prison issue vans on my feet, loose blue plaided shorts that stopped two inches after my knees, and a white Pro5 t-shirt with a navy blue track jacket thrown over it. To top it all off, I wore a black hat with the LB logo in blue embroidered on it.

"So," I said clearing my throat, "are we ready to head out or what? Jonah called and said the party's pretty much crackin' right now." I informed them. "Alright! Let's get goin' then." I demanded softly when all three nodded their heads.

--

"Aye you!" I yelled over the music to Jeremy, who was passing by. He stopped walking and looked at me, then looked behind him as though I was calling something else. "Yeah, you! Come here." I yelled, motioning for him to walk to me.

"Yeah?" he asked cautiously, then sneezed. I took a step back from him and gave him a disturbing look.

"Who's that girl over there?" I asked, discreetly pointing to a brunette who was straddling a blond guys lap.

I was dancing with Sam until my mouth was so dry I needed a drink. She's a great dancer by the way, no matter what she says. Anyway, I excused myself from the made up dance floor in the living room, with the promise of bringing a drink for her when I returned, and made my way to the kitchen. There was a huge island and it was jam-packed with different bottles of liquor and other beverages.

It was after I mixed myself a cup of Jack Daniel's with Coke and a cup of Malibu with Dr. Pepper for Sam when I looked up and caught the eye of this girl. The boy she was straddling was sitting faced away from the kitchen, and she had her arms wrapped around his neck. She was leaning into him but staring at me curiously.

"Oh, that's Tasha Jones." he answered with a sneeze.

"She go to our school?" he nodded his head. "How come I've never seen her around?"

"Cuz she's part of the 'in-crowd'," he said with air quotes. When I raised an eyebrow he explained some more, "captain of the advanced dance team and co-captain of the varsity cheer squad."

"Grade?"

"I think she's in your grade."

"Who's that guy she's sitting on?"

"Jake Krandell," he paused for a few seconds, "her boyfriend. Why? You interested?" he questioned.

"Nah, man! I'm just askin'," I said with a laugh, "she is kinda hot though."

"Yeah," sneeze, "I know." sneeze. "I think I'm," sneeze. Sneeze. Sneeze, "gonna go now." sneeze.

"Alright, see you around school." I said giving him a small smile.

When he walked away I grabbed the two red cups and looked up to see that Tasha was still staring at me. I tipped my drink at her, took a sip, then gave her a smile followed by a wink. My smile widened even more when she blushed and hid her face in the crook of her boyfriends neck. With a smirk on my face I made my way back to Sam.

"Here's your drink." I said in her ear from behind while she was dancing with Carly. I wore a proud smile when she took a sip then gave me an impressed look. "Dr. Pepper and Malibu." I stated when she asked what I mixed for her.

"I'm tired, I'm gonna sit for a couple songs," she said.

"Alright, I'll go look for you in a couple minutes," I told her. "Is it cool if I danced with Carly?" I asked for her permission, after all I am her date.

"Of course!" she said with a laugh. "I'll be over there if you need me." she pointed to where I just came from. I just nodded my head and said alright. When she was out of sight I turned around and tapped Carly on her shoulder.

"May I have this dance?" I asked her politely when she turned around and looked at me expectantly. She gave me a wide smile and nodded her head. I returned her smile and offered her my left hand with a small bow. Right when she took my hand, the song changed from Flo Rida's – Low to Tyrese's – Sweet Lady. I felt a blush creep to my cheeks after I heard the transition. Shrugging my shoulders I placed her right hand on my shoulders, then tentatively placed both my hands on her hips. Following my lead, she put her other hand on my shoulder, and we swayed side to side to the beat of the music. "So... are you havin' fun?" I asked her.

"I am now." she said quietly. I looked up and gave her a small smile.

"That's good. So, what are you doin' for Thanksgivin'?"

"Me and Spencer will probably go to my grand-dads house in Yakima." I felt my eyebrows meet up in a frown all by themselves. "What?" she asked with a laugh.

"Yakima?" I asked taking a step away from her warmth. "Where the hell's Yakima? I've never heard of that place."

"Honestly, I don't know either. All I know is that it's an hour and a half from where I live." she stated. "What about you? What are you doing for Thanksgiving?"

"Spend time with my girlfriend and probably visit my cousins and stuff." I said with a toothy smile. "It's been awhile since I've been down there so I'm pretty excited." We were silent for a while until a thought came and hit me full force and wanted to get out. "Hey, why isn't Sam invited to parties?" I asked her curiously.

"Cuz Sam likes to get drunk and make out with people who already have a significant others." she informed after thinking her answer through. I immediately paused when I heard this and a look of horror became evident on my face. "What? What's wrong?" Carly asked concerned.

"I just gave her a cup of alcohol!" I exclaimed then abruptly pulled myself away from Carly. "I'm sorry! I gotta go look for her before she does somethin' stupid like that," I told her all in one breath. "I told her I was gonna pay for the damage she's done, but I don't wanna get in a fight tonight." I explained when she tried to stop me.

I walked quickly and with purpose [guess where I got this line from? I'll give you a cookie!] to where Sam pointed at earlier. To my greatest relief she was just sitting on one of the chairs pushed up against the wall, but she was literally all up in some girls personal space while the girls boyfriend looked pissed. Taking notice of this, I swiftly grabbed her by her elbows and pulled her towards me. I gave the boyfriend an apologizing smile and said, "c'mon, we're goin' for a walk."

She just looked at me and shrugged her shoulders a little clumsily before taking a long drink from her cup. Before we made it out of the back door I heard someone calling my name. Looking around I saw Jonah and Rodney in the kitchen holding up a shot of brown liquid. I was torn between taking the shot with them and going outside with Sam. Making up my mind I made sure I had a firm grip on Sam's elbow then made my way to them. I placed my cup of Jack and Coke on the island then took the shot glass from Rodney's extended hand. "To family, friends, and life." I said quickly, clanking my shot glass with theirs, then swallowing the shot whole. I quickly put the shot glass on the island then picked up my cup for a chaser. "I'll see you guys later, imma chill with Sam outside for a lil' bit." I said when I noticed them looking at my grip on Sam's arm.

Turning us around, I pulled her out of the house with me and into the crisp calming Seattle air. I inhaled a deep breath, and felt my hot skin cool from the cold air. I turned to Sam and noticed she was doing the same thing. "Jeez, how much did you have to drink? Your face is all red... like a tomato!" I exclaimed when I noticed how red her face was.

"Whatever you gave me and a couple jello shots." I gave her a shocked looked. All I remember giving her was the cup of Malibu and Dr. Pepper and a shot of Grey Goose when we first got to the party. "I'm a light weight when it comes to drinking." she explained when she saw my reaction. "How much did you have to drink Hot Shot?" I was in deep thought as I tried to remember.

"A couple shots of Grey Goose and Jack Daniel's each, a Jager Bomb or two, probably four or five bottles of Heineken, and a couple jello shots." I stated after a few moments. She just stared at me wide-eyed. "What?"

"No way you can drink all that stuff and not throw up!" she said incredulously, I just laughed at her reaction and shook my head.

"It's possible." I started, "After a couple years of drinkin', my tolerance level has gone up. I could drink more, wayyyy more, and still not throw up." I stated matter of factly.

"So you're not drunk right now?" I just shook my head. "Not even a little bit?" I shook my head again. "You're crazy!" she said with a slight awe in her voice.

"Uhh, thanks?" I said, accepting her comment, I think. I looked around Johnny's back yard and noticed he had a swing set. "C'mon, let's sit on the swings." I started walking but stopped after the first couple of steps because I noticed Sam wasn't walking with me. When I turned around, she was in the same spot. "What's wrong?" I asked her concerned.

"The world is like... spinning." She looked like she was gonna fall, so I quickly went to her side and held her up with one hand around her lower back, and the other on her arm.

"Maybe I should take you home instead?" I asked hopefully. She slightly shook her head. "Alright, what do you wanna do then? I know one thing you shouldn't do anymore." she gave me a questioning look, "drink more." I said humorously. She stuck her tongue out at me.

"Can we just hang out here? It's so hot and stuffy inside, it makes me want to throw up."

"Of course. But we should walk around or somethin', if you stay still for long you'll feel the alcohol even more." I stated. We walked around his huge backyard together in complete silence for a while before Sam asked me a question.

"So, tell me about your life in Long Beach." I turned my head to look at her.

"What do you wanna know?"

"Well. I don't know." she paused. "Were you the same person you are here?" I took a couple minutes to think this answer through.

"No, I wasn't actually." I told her, "I was a fuck up and pretty much ruined my life there. I moved here to start over." I said, shoving my hands deep into my front pockets.

"How did you 'fuck up'?" she asked using air quotes. I just smiled at her gesture.

"I stopped goin' to school for months, would only show up for lunch then leave again. I got kicked off the Junior Varsity basketball team for it too. My grades started slippin' and my parents were just disappointed in me." I explained. "I just didn't care about my life or future when I was in Long Beach, I did what I wanted to do. I didn't give a fuck about the consequences." I said shaking my head when I felt tears start to well up in my eyes.

"What made you want to start over?"

"It was either start all over or go to juvie." I explained like it was simple. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her shiver then hug herself, trying to block the cold. "You cold?" She nodded her head and I took off my jacket. "Nahh, it's cool! Don't even worry about it, the alcohol keeps me warm." I assured her when she tried to decline my jacket. I watched as she slipped my jacket on, it was a little baggy on her but it looked good. "There, isn't that better?"

"Yeah, thanks." she said with a smile, then got serious again. "Why would you have gone to juvie?" she asked curiously, like she didn't believe me.

"Believe it or not, I'm a bad person, I've done a lot of shit that could have taken me away from my parents for good." I paused for a few moments. "Even if I told you all the shit I did, you probably wouldn't believe me." I turned us back towards the swing set, and took a seat on one of the swings.

"Why's that?" she asked taking a seat on the swing to the right of me.

"Cuz I could pass for a 13 year old when I'm really 17. I have this innocence that radiates off of me and people refuse to look past the innocent part. It's crazy, but it helps sometimes. Like when I want a free meal at a restaurant," I said playfully, "I just tell the hostess I'm 12, and I get free food." I finished with a smile.

I turned to Sam and saw her smiling brightly at me, which caused my smile to widen even more. "Well, if it makes any difference, I'm glad you chose Seattle to start all over."

"Yeah, I'm glad too."

--

**A/N:** I still can't get over the fact that they kissed ... It broke my heart! My little brother was staring at me weird when I kept on saying NOOOOO! To the television screen. Haha. Anyways, I know much didn't happen in this chapter. I was planning on having Shorty go to Long Beach in this chapter, but I felt like I needed more interaction with the members of iCarly. So yeah! Have a good day xD


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't anything/anyone you recognize in this story.**

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait, I didn't think it was that long. Stuff happened and yeah, my family's going through some stuff right now... anyways, there's no mention of any iCarly people in here, it's mostly Shorty's time in Long Beach. You don't have to read this chapter, but there's some foreshadowing in this chapter. It'll probably help you understand things in later chapters. Well yeah, g'night.**

**CHAPTER 10**

I've been driving for a while now probably twelve hours or so, only stopping to get more gas, use the restroom, and/or buying something to eat. It's the longest twelve hours of my life but I'm too focused on getting to Long Beach to care. It's been three and a half months since I've seen my girlfriend, and nothing is stopping me from getting to her.

I miss her. Everything about her. Her touch; kiss; caress. Everything. The way her eyebrows meet together when shes concentrated on a book. The way her lips curve when shes smiling. The way her dimples form and goes away when she's chewing. The way I sit, with one arm on the back of the sofa, and she curls into me. The way her hand finds mine when we're walking side by side. The way her scent lingers in the room, long after she's gone. It's every little thing, from the big things to the little things, that I miss about her.

Keeping her deep in my mind I push down on the gas pedal a little harder and make my way to her.

I don't know where the idea came from, but I'm an hour and a half away from my destination when a thought hits me. We've never tried it before, and its never came across my mind at all, but I want to try something new. With that thought in mind I get off the freeway and search for the nearest mall and/or shop. I finally find a small shop after ten minutes of searching. I pull into the drive way and put the car in park. Before I shut the ignition off I dig into my front pocket and retrieve my cell phone. I wait two rings when she finally picks up.

"_Are you here yet?_" Jerika asks hopefully.

"No, sorry babe." I say with a chuckle. "I'll be there soon."

"_How soon?_" she sighs.

"I don't know. An hour and a half at most." I estimate.

"_Where are you now?_"

"I just pulled over somewhere." I answered vaguely.

"_What are you doing there?_" she asked suspiciously

"'Bout to buy somethin'," I answer, not bothering to go into specifics.

"_Like what?_" she pushes.

"You'll see." I tease. "Now get ready, we're gonna roll out as soon as I get there."

"_To where?_" she asks curiously. "_I thought we were gonna stay in and you know... get reacquainted with each other._" she says cautiously like there are people around her.

"Don't worry, we'll have plenty of time for that." I say with a laugh. "I wanna go clubbin' tonight. I wanna get reacquainted with your ass." I say the last part huskily.

"_But we could do that at home!_" she whines.

"Please, babe?" I plead. "I wanna dance with you! I miss havin' your body pressed up on mine, all hot and bothered." There's silence on the other end and I know I'm winning. "I'll even throw in a surprise." I toss in.

"_Alright, fine!_" Hook, line, and sinker. Now I'm just reeling in my prize. "_What's the surprise?_" she questions.

"Got damn woman! You've asked like a billion questions and we haven't been on the phone longer than," I pulled the phone from my ear and put it in front of me to check how long we've been on the phone, "three minutes." I exclaim. "and plus, it's not a surprise if I tell you! You'll have to wait and see."

"_Will I like it?_" she asks like a little kid being promised a great gift. I look out my windshield and at the small yellow colored building.

"Of course," I reply, "Now go get ready." I demand.

"_Ugh, you're whack._" she says darkly.

"Oh yeah, babe?"

"_Hmm._"

"Why don't you wear your naughty school girl outfit," I practically growl out.

"_Whatever makes you happy,_" she teases.

"You do." I say simply.

"_I love you,_" she sighs dreamily.

"I love you, too." I smile. "I'll see you in a few."

"_Bye._"

"Later." When I hear her end of the phone click, I snap my phone shut and turn off the ignition. Swallowing a deep breath of air, I get out of the comfort of my Matrix and step into the shop. "Let's see what ya got." I say to myself before exploring the items.

--

Before I even pull into Jerika's driveway, her door swings open and she runs out of her house. I park a little clumsily, half on her lawn and the other half on the driveway. I don't even turn my car off, I just leave it on park. I throw my car door open and run out to catch her as we meet half way. I pick her up off the ground easily and her legs lock around my back, silently in the back of my head I hope she doesn't feel what I've got in store for her.

I just stand there, supporting the both of us, and bury my face into her neck; her hair, breathing in her scent that I love and miss so much. After a few minutes we both pull back and I stare deep into her hazel eyes.

"God, I've fuckin' missed you, ya know that?" I asked quietly, taking in her beautiful features. She put our foreheads together and nodded, making my head move up and down with hers. I smiled.

"I've missed you too honey." she says before slowly moving her head forward. We met half way and it felt like I died and went to heaven when our lips finally met again after so long. The kiss was slow and passionate at first, then it got more heated.

A cold breeze blew and I felt her shiver in my arms. Hesitantly, I pulled out of her kiss and away from her. I looked in between us and realized she was really wearing her naughty school girl uniform; red plaided mini skirt, tight white short sleeved button down shirt, white stockings, and black high heels.

"I'd take you right now." I growled out.

"I bet you would." she challenged with a smirk.

"I bet you'd want me too...," I trail off, "but we gotta get goin'." I gave her my own smirk when her jaw dropped. I gently let go of her legs but left my arms wrapped around her. I repeatedly gave her small pecks on the lips until she started kissing me back, then stopped.

"God, you're such an asshole sometimes." she exasperated before turning around to make her way inside the house. I give her a smack on the ass before she gets far enough and laugh when she yelps and soothes the pain with her hand. "Asshole." she looked at me over her shoulders and I just wiggled my eye brows at her, causing her to giggle.

I stand outside and wait while she gathers up everything she needs for tonight and turns off the light inside her house. I know if I go inside there, there's no coming back out... until tomorrow afternoon. I walk towards her when she comes out the door and locks it. When she turns around I gather her into my arms and place a soft kiss on her lips. "Hey!" I finally realize something, "you taste like," I pause to lick her lips, "my chapstick!" I accuse.

"Well duh," she states like I'm stupid, "we were just making out."

"No!" I deny, even though we were, "I bought a new chapstick. You taste like my Almond Swirl." I say darkly staring into her eyes.

"Okay," she admits, "maybe I sorta took your Almond Swirl before you left." she says sheepishly.

"I knew I didn't lose it!" I exclaim, "I was lookin' for it every where before I finally bought a new kind." I know I'm probably making myself look like a jackass for getting worked up over chapstick, but I like my lips to be smooth and delicious at all times. So sue me for wanting nice lips.

"I know, I'm sorry!" she says quickly. "I should have told you I took it, I just wanted something of yours close by. Every time we kissed you would taste like your Almond Swirl and I wanted to always remember the taste of your lips." she finishes off with a pout of her lips.

"Aw, babe." I say softly, "I'm sorry, didn't mean to get so worked up over this." I swoop in and give her a kiss. "But damn, I do taste good, don't I?" I ask playfully with another lick of her lips coaxing her to smile. With a silent agreement, I take her hand in mine and lead her to my 'skillfully' parked car. I open the passenger side door for her and make sure her luscious legs are in properly before closing it.

When I've reversed out of her driveway and have the car in drive I take her left hand in mine and smile when she moves our intertwined hand to her lap. We sit in companionable silence as I make my way to V20, a night club at the Pike in Downtown Long Beach.

Parking is always a problem at the Pike, but I found a relatively good spot a little ways from the club. While Jerika's in the passenger seat putting on some final touches of make up and fixing her hair, I take the time to get out of the drivers side and walk over to her side to open the door. I offer her my hand as she gets out of the car and in return she gives me a quick kiss on the lips. I cringe when I realize she's wearing lip gloss now, I'm about to swipe my lips with the back of my hand before she stops me and licks my lips instead. I stand there dumbfounded until she takes my hand in hers and starts leading us to the back of the line.

I snap out of my thoughts when I realize what she's doing. I stop abruptly, causing her to jerk backwards and into my arms. "Babe, you should know better than anyone that Shorty does not wait in line for anything." I say cockily. She just gives me a confused look. "C'mon." I say, leading her to the front of the line. People are staring at us as we pass them up and I don't care.

"SHAAAAAAAWTY!" the bouncer, dressed up in all black with sunglasses and headphones on, exclaims when he sees me. We give our signature hand shake then give each other one armed hugs. "It's been too long! Where've you been, G?"

"I don't stay in LB no more, cuhz. I moved up north." I tell him. I pull Jerika into me and motion to the bouncer, "You remember Franklin, my cousin, right?" I ask her. She just nods and I watch on as they exchange awkward looks.

"David's brother, right?" she finally asks. Frank just nods his head stiffly. I'm beginning to wonder what the hostile vibe is but Frank ushers us inside before I can ask. I watch on as Jerika goes inside before turning to Frank.

"We need to catch up, cuhz." He says, clearly trying to keep me from asking questions, and it's working.

"I know, imma be at your parents house tomorrow for Thanksgiving. You gon be there?"

"Of course, dumbass!" he exclaims, "I'm not gonna miss spendin' time with my family for nothin'," I laugh and fall into his open arms. "It's good to see you, cuhz." he says quietly into my ear.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I say pulling out of his embrace, "and good lookin' out." I motion to the club.

"No problem." With that, I walk into the club and was met with loud music.

--

We've been dancing for a couple hours now, only stopping to get drinks of water. We dance close, pressing our bodies together we become one. Sweat is dripping off of my forehead, down the side of my face, and drips off my chin like a leaky faucet. I pull her backside impossibly closer to me and groan when she grinds harder against me. I know she feels what's in my pants, that bulge is impossible to miss. I'm just surprised she hasn't said anything about it, but I have a feeling she knows what her surprise is.

Not being able to take it anymore I turn her around and grab onto her ass, pulling her flush against me. Hot skin on hot skin feels wonderful. "I want you," I said hoarsely into her ear, taking one of her hands and putting it on the bulge in my pants.

Before I know what's happening Jerika's dragging me off of the dance floor, out of the club, and pushing me into the drivers seat. I look over at her stunned and literally became wetter when she growled out, "Drive."

Nothing makes sense to me right now, like how she unlocked the car door and had me in it with the car already started, but I listen to her and take off. When we're at a stop light I look over to her and notice that she has her skirt hiked up and she's playing with herself. Before I even know what I'm doing I replace her hand with mine and start teasing her clit. Before I get to slip a finger in her, a car horn blows me out of my thoughts. Without removing my hands I step on the gas and make my way to her house. At every stop sign/light I would play with her, tease her. I loved how she moaned, groaned and whimpered.

"Open the garage door." she groans out. I listen to her and push the button on the remote thats clipped onto my visor. I pull my car inside and before I can even put the car in park she straddles my thighs and kisses me hungrily. I'm out of it, but I still take the time to change gears and close the garage door. I moan as I feel her hands frantically unzip my pants and pull out the strap on.

I don't know why, but seeing her handle a strap on is seriously turning me on. God, how I wish I had a penis right now, just to feel the sensation she could be giving me. I quickly move her thong to the side and bunch her skirt until it's all crumpled up on her stomach. She takes the strap on and aligns it with her entrance before I stop her.

"Wait!" I say breathlessly.

"What!?" she bites out. I reach under the seat and feel around for the lever, when I find it I pull it up and move the seat back to give us more room.

"Okay, now go." With that she slowly lowers herself onto the pink translucent strap on and moan out loudly when it's deep within. "You okay?" I ask quietly when she doesn't move for a moment.

Her answer is to wrap her arms around my neck and slowly move her ass up, pulling the dildo out of her. I kiss her and swallow her moan as she slides back down the shaft. After a few moments both of our breathing comes out in short pants and the windows are all fogged up. When she moves up, I grab hold of her hips and securely hold it in place, she gives me a weird look but I start an assault on her neck making her moan.

I get her off guard, when shes high in heaven, I plant my feet firmly on the floor mats and start penetrating her deep, hard, and fast. With each thrust of my hips a loud moan escapes her lips and I feel myself floating into a galaxy far far away. She's screaming, "I'm... baby, I'm... FUCK! I'M CUMMING!" I still penetrate her even after her head tosses back and her body curves into me. I take that moment to kiss along her exposed neck and stop what I'm doing to watch her chest move up and down with each breath she takes. I'm mesmerized; captivated by this sexy, sweat glistening skin, heavy panting side of her, and I was the one who did it. Me. I'm proud of myself.

I place butterfly kisses up her throat, to chin, along her jawline, cheeks, and stop when I reach her lips. I look deep into her eyes and its coated with desire. For me. I smirk and kiss her lips softly. I move my hips slightly and she gasps. I slip my tongue into her mouth and we tongue wrestle for dominance.

The light in the garage has been long gone, only staying on for five minutes before automatically shutting off, so when Jerika suddenly opens the door we're both blinded by the light over us in the car. I blink stupidly as she slips off of me, and take her hand when she offers it and slide out the car too. I watch as she bends over the drivers seat to turn off the ignition and pull the keys out.

"Where's Jenny?" I ask about her roommate. Jenny never really liked me much, said I wasn't good enough for Jerika and always asked why she wasted her time on me. I never really liked her either, she's a bitch and I always wondered why my girlfriend wasted time on her fake ass.

"She went to her moms house."

"When's she comin' back?"

"Day after tomorrow. Why?"

Before she stands up straight, I grab her hips and bend over her until I'm right next to her ear. "Ready for round two?" I whisper seductively into her ear and hear her purr in response.

--

As soon as I walk pass my cousins gate and step foot onto their yea, all hell breaks loose. It seems as though all of my cousins, young and old, knew I was finally there. Before I knew what was happening I was surrounded by half of my cousins, nieces and nephews (from my older cousins), and close family friends (that I basically call my cousins).

"Amanda!"-"Shorty!"-"Where've you been?!"-"I've missed you!"-"You're still short."-"You got FAT!"

I was being pulled left and right for hugs and questions so fast, I felt like my head was going to explode. When I looked up my eyes locked onto Jerika's eyes and I gave her an apologetic smile. We walked in together, hand in hand, before she was unwillingly pushed to the side by everyone.

Then I noticed her eyes shift away from mine to look over her shoulder. Getting curious I slowly turned around and was met with the spitting image of me, but mini-er. She was behind the wooden mail post, hugging it and staring at the scene curiously, obviously wondering what the commotion was about. A bright smile graced my lips when I saw her eyes widen upon seeing me.

"C'mere Nelly," I called out with open arms. When she got closer I knelt down on one knee and everyone surrounding me parted like the Red Sea. I hugged her tight, stood up, and spun us around slowly, causing her to giggle cutely.

If you haven't noticed yet, I'm pretty much a family person, very family oriented and I loved everyone of them with a deep passion. My family helped mold me into the person I am today. Even though I fucked up my life, they're still there when I need them the most. Well my cousins and stuff are at least.

"I missed you Auntie Manda!" My niece, Nelly, exclaimed as she wrapped her small arms around my neck and squeezed tightly, throwing in a kiss on my cheek for good measure.

"I missed you too, Sme-Nelly." I said, returning the kiss. Then I gently lowered her to the ground, "Look who else is here." I motioned to Jerika behind us.

"Hi Auntie Jerika!" she ran up to Jerika and hugged her leg.

"Hey Sweetie." Jerika ruffled her hair.

"Where's Uncle Dawid?" Now this question would totally be normal under any circumstances, but when it's directed at my girlfriend... that's another story. I frowned when everyone seemed to quiet down and the air seemed to tense.

"I don't know, Sweetie, I just got here." I was about to say something when Nelly took hold of my index and middle finger then tried to pull me down the driveway.

"C'mon Auntie! I know you're hungry! You always are." Everyone laughed and the tension seemed to disappear.

"Alright. Let's go eat then babe." With my free hand I reached behind me and found Jerika's without any problem then let Nelly pull us towards the backyard.

--

I've been here for a little over two hours now, and I still haven't seen my parents yet. I've seen all of my brothers, aunts, uncles, and cousins, but my parents still aren't here. I'm happy that they're not here, but at the same time I'm sad.

My relationship with my parents was like a roller coaster, it's had its ups, downs, left, rights, and loopty-loops. We used to get along just fine, when I was a kid, but everything changed when I hit thirteen and they finally figured out that I wasn't going to change the way I was for anyone. I was their only daughter, and they were expecting a lot from me. So when I didn't change the way I was they started treating me like an outcast in the family.

I did everything I could to please them, to try and get their support. I joined the basketball and volleyball teams in middle school but they didn't go to any of my games. I was in orchestra, played the violin, but they never came to watch me play. I even got on the honor roll a couple of times, but nothing seemed to please them. It was like they were the Dursley's and I was Harry Potter, they just couldn't stand me.

I gave up trying to please them when I hit high school and started hanging out with Kevin and David. I started hating them for making me feel shunned in my own home and hung out with kids like me, kids who went or were going through the same thing I was going. I found another home.

They were still my parents, and some part of me still loved them no matter what. So when I finally bumped into my parents when I was walking out the back door to get something to drink, my heart started beating faster. "Uhh, hi?" I said uncertainly. My heart dropped when my mom gave me a once over and walked to where my aunts and uncles were sitting at, on blankets and playing cards.

"How have you been?" my dad asked in Khmer. At first I thought he was talking to someone else, probably someone standing behind trying to get out, but when I looked behind me no one was there. When I looked back at my father he was staring dead at me. I stepped fully out of the door and stood right in front of him.

"I'm doin' better." I replied back, also in Khmer. "You?" I felt something growing in my chest, something like hope. He was actually speaking to me and I was hoping life was going to get better.

"I heard you were doing better." he said, ignoring my question. "That's good. How's your aunt Rosie doing?"

"She's doin' fine." I answered slowly. "She has back problems, but she's good."

"How are things with you and that girl?" That girl has a name, I thought to myself. I felt anger slowly seep into my veins.

"Me and _Jerika_ are fine." I said through gritted teeth.

"Ah, so you guys are still going out?"

"Yeah...," I trailed off. He scoffed. "What?"

"Nothing, that's just interesting to me, that's all." I felt a frown grow on my face.

"Why would it be interesting for?" I snapped in English. My relationship should not be interesting to anyone.

"Maybe the fact that she's been fucking behind your back?" he answered cooly.

"Shut up." I demanded.

"Did you honestly think a long distance relationship was going to work?" he questioned calmly, I felt my blood boil at how calm he was acting when he was easily pissing me off. "It's always one end of the relationship who tries to make it work and the other who goes around and cheats, that end is your girlfriend."

"You don't know what your talkin' about!" I yelled at him. "How dare you talk shit about my girlfriend! You have no right."

"I have every right! I'm your father." he spat.

"No! That's bullshit!" I screamed. "You stopped being my father the day you kicked me out of your house and disowned me." I heard gasps all around me. "I'm gonna marry her one day and you're gonna look stupid in front of everybody." I said with clenched jaws. When I finally took my gaze off of my dad I looked around and realized every one of my family members were standing around us.

I turned around and walked through back door, cutting through the kitchen and into the living room. I grabbed Jerika by the wrist and pulled her out of the front door with me.

The whole drive back to Jerika's was silent, not even the radio was turned on. I had questions flying in my head a hundred miles a minute. I don't know why, but some part of me actually believed what my dad said was true. No matter how hard I tried to push that thought to the back of my head, it stayed there, weighing me down. The fact that it felt like everyone was walking on eggshells around me didn't help my thoughts either.

Something was going down, everyone was keeping something from me, and I had a feeling I was going to be pissed when I found out what it was.

**A/N: School is starting again on Monday. I was hoping to get more done for this story, but I've had writers block. Hopefully when school starts my brain will be more productive and I'll be able to update things more quicker.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly or anything related to iCarly. Or anything you recognize in this story.**

**A/N: Wow, this is a long one. Sorry for the wait to people who actually read this story. No excuses, I've just been lazy and had major writers block. I don't know what else to say, so... Happy Reading.**

**CHAPTER 11**

I've been back in Seattle for almost two weeks now, and I've been on autopilot since. The thought of Jerika cheating on me was always running through my mind, making it hard to focus on anything else. I don't even remember getting up in the mornings and going to school. Everything snapped me back to reality when I was deep in thought and ran into a freaking pole and fell backwards on my ass.

"Dude, Shorty. What the hell's been up with you?" Rodney asked kneeling down beside me to help me sit up. I shook my head and blinked the images of stars out of my eyes.

"What you talkin' 'bout?" I asked when my vision cleared up.

"You've been outta it since you got back from LB." he explained. "and you won't tell anyone what happened when you were there." I took his offered hand and he pulled me up after he got up himself. I held on to my head as he helped brush the back of my legs off. I jumped a little when he accidentally slapped my ass.

"Jeez, coppin' a feel, huh? I know I'm cute, but damn, I'm injured here!" I said with a smile. He returned the smile and shook his head slowly.

"See, there you go again." the smile fell from my face and was replaced with a confused look.

"There I go again, what?"

"Shorty, every time someone asks you how your break was you either ignore them or change the subject."

"Nothin' happened aight?" I said softly after a few moments.

"Bullshit. Something must've happened for you to become so distant."

"Look, there are some things I'd like to keep to myself and think about before I tell other people." I defended.

"Well you should tell other people soon cuz the way you been acting has affected all of us."All of us? Who the hell is all of us? And how the hell have I been acting? "See, you don't even know what I'm talkin' about." he said at the confused look on my face. "You've been ignoring everyone since you got back. Sam and Carly have been down in the dumps since school started again."

"Okay, and why do you have to single those two out?" I asked, clearly confused.

"Cuz it's so obvious they both like you." I shook my head like I didn't believe him. "Seriously. You're so fuckin' blind sometimes."

"Whatever, cuhz. How can they both like me? They're best friends!" I pointed out.

"Your point is?" he asked, "it's not like they've never shared someone before." my eyebrows met in a deep frown. "You need to do your homework, Shorty. There's a lot you need to know."

"What the hell are you talkin' 'bout?" I asked. He explained all about the Shane incident to me. How they both liked and dated him then things got competitive and it all came down to who he would kiss first. I was laughing through out the story, but when it came time to hear about this Shane guy falling down eight stories in an elevator shaft, I got worried. I did not want to end up like that kid. "Cuh, that is so not good for my health." I said with wide eyes after Rodney finished the story.

"I know, right? So don't fuck with their emotions, or you'll end up like him. I heard he was still in recovery." he said while shaking his head solemnly.

"I'll keep that in mind." I said contemplating what I've just heard. "I think imma go to the nurses office, my head hurts." I said with a pout.

"Alright, but don't think you're getting away without telling me what really happened on break!" he called out to me when I started walking away. I just sighed and shook my head. There are good and bad things about having great friends who care; bad thing, they won't leave you alone until they know what's wrong with you; good thing, they actually care enough to bother you until they find out the truth. Gosh, I love that asshole.

--

It's about lunch time when I left the nurses office. My headache went away and my stomach was grumbling loudly. I made my way towards the cafeteria and was pleased to see that I was one of the first people there, usually there's a long line by the time I get there. I was even more delighted to see that my favorite school meal on was the menu today. Turkey and mashed potatoes with gravy. Yummy. I grabbed a dinner roll, two cartons of chocolate milk, and an apple juice. Oh, and a chocolate pudding cup, of course. Ahh, what a fine meal.

After punching in my PIN number, I grabbed my brown box filled with food and made my way to the table that Rodney, Jonah, and I have claimed since I came to the school. I'm half way done with my main entrée when I get a whiff of a familiar scent. My hand, which was holding a spoonful of mashed potatoes, stopped in mid air as I looked around feverishly for the person who belonged to the smell.

"Carly!" I called out to her retreating form, "Come here." I said as she slowly turned around to face me. She slowly walked towards me and stopped about a foot away. The spoon dropped from my hand and in an instant I grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her close to me, her stomach was basically in my face and I was breathing her scent in.

"Uhh, Shorty?" I heard her voice, but I was too caught up in her scent to actually hear her. "Shorty!" she said a little more forcefully while shoving slightly at my shoulders. I shook from my dazed revere and pulled back from her, dropping my hands from her waist. When I looked up I noticed that she had a blush on her cheeks and a few students were staring at us. Jeez, I swear, people at this school have staring problems. "Uhh, not that I'm complaining... but what was that?" she asked quietly with raised eyebrows.

"Oh uhh, nothin'?" I said with a blush. "You uhh, smell good." _Like my girlfriend_, I thought to myself. "What are you wearin'?"

"Clothes...," she replied like it was obvious and I was stupid. I chuckled slightly and smiled up at her.

"No, I meant your perfume."

"Oh," she said understanding what I actually meant, "Cool Water for women." Yup, definitely the same thing Jerika uses. "Why?" she asked curiously.

"Nothin', just wonderin'... anyway, wanna sit with me?" I asked hopefully. That smell always got to me and I was missing Jerika, a lot. Ever since I got back from Long Beach we haven't talked much. Every time I called her she would say that she was busy and I felt crushed every single time. That scent, it always, _always_ calmed me down, no matter what.

"Yeah, sure." Carly answered happily. When she sat down next to me, I scooted closer to her until our arms were basically brushing against each other every time one of us moved a little bit. I knew she noticed me scooting closer to her, but she didn't say anything, instead she shifted her body closer to mine and made small talk.

--

Sometime during the meal Rodney, Jonah, and Freddie sat across from us. I bet they were wondering why Carly and I were sitting so close, but I was too wrapped up in Carly's smell to really care about anything else.

Towards the end of lunch, I felt a rush of wind and the space on the bench to the left of me slightly bent down. When I looked over it was Sam and she looked flustered. Looking back through out the day, I didn't see her at all, this was the first time I saw her all day.

"Sup Sam." I greeted but she looked deep in thought, "Sam." I tried again, bumping shoulders with her. She slightly jumped and shook her head.

"Hey... guys." she said, finally acknowledging everyone at the table. She looked so troubled and I wanted to know what was wrong, so I moved away from Carly and scooted closer to Sam so I could speak low enough that only she could hear.

"Hey...," she looked over at me, "where've you been? Haven't seen you all day."

"I had some personal issues to deal with." she replied quietly, not looking into my eyes.

"Oh yeah?" she nodded her head. "Anything I can help with?" she shook her head. "If anyone's fuckin' with you, tell me. I'll handle 'em," I said playfully, but with a hint of seriousness in my tone.

"No, it's fine." she said with a wave of her hand. "and if anyone messes with me, I can handle them." she stated confidently. I smiled at the determined look on her face and turned back to my meal. I grabbed the chocolate pudding cup and turned back to face her.

"Here, take my puddin', puddin'," I drawled out, causing her to smile. She slowly reached her hand out and took the pudding cup with hesitant hands. "Don't trip, just take it," I assured her. I reached over the table and snatched Jonah's vanilla pudding cup then held it in front of her face, "I got another one."

"Hey! That's mine, asshole!" Jonah exclaimed like a five year old. I looked at him and held the pudding cup in front of me. I pulled the lid back all the way and stuck a finger in the pudding, I scooped out a finger full and put it in my mouth.

"Mine now, ya bish!" I taunted after I pulled the finger out of my mouth with a loud pop. Jonah just glared at me as everyone at the table started laughing.

As the laughter died down I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. When I took it out and looked at the display screen, it read that I got a new text message from Jerika. I felt my heart beat faster and my palms started to sweat. I was excited and happy, I hadn't heard from her in like two days, and if a text is all I'm going to get then I'll take it.

After I flipped my phone open, accepted the text, and read it, my whole demeanor changed in an instant.

"_We need to talk. Call me when you're free."_

Fuck, _we need to talk_. Those are four scary fucking words to use in a relationship. I snapped my phone shut and threw it on the table. Everyone got quiet but I was too caught up in my own world to notice. I placed my elbows on the table and cupped my face with my hands. After a few minutes of silence, I felt a warm hand running, unsurely, up and down the length of my back in a soothing motion.

"Are you okay?" I heard Carly ask softly. I shook my head as the scent of her perfume got into my nose. The smell that I couldn't get enough of was now a painful scent to breathe in. I couldn't take it anymore, I had to get out.

"Naw, I'm not cuhz." I said quickly. I stood up abruptly and gathered my things. "I'll see ya later." I quickly left the cafeteria and walked outside the school. I stopped near a huge oak tree and swung my fist at it hard, once, twice, three times... ten times and I heard a loud _crack_. I stopped myself mid swing and looked at my limp hand. My knuckles were tore up and it was covered in blood. I tried to move my fingers and barely succeeded, but I couldn't feel anything. My whole right hand was numb as fuck.

"Amanda." I continued to stare at my right hand and contemplated whether or not I should still attack a fucking tree. "Amanda." The tree never did anything to me before, but now it probably broke my hand. Fucking tree, I should cut you down! "Amanda!" I broke out of my internal battle and looked up, away from my hand, and towards Sam, who was yelling my name out like a crazy person.

"Huh?" I asked with a frown.

"Are you okay?" I tilted my head to the side slightly and thought about her question. It's funny, I was just comforting her not even ten minutes ago, and now she's here helping me.

"Yeah, I'm good." I said with a chuckle.

"Are you sure?" she asked, looking at my right hand. I followed her gaze and looked at my right hand too. I turned my attention back to her and shook my head slowly. "Looks bad. We should let the nurse take a look." I shook my head some more. "It could be broken." she reasoned.

"The nurses don't do shit." I said quietly. "They only look you over and then send you back to class. I don't feel like going back to class." I said with a frown, "I think imma dip out."

"I'll go with you." she said quickly. I looked at her with raised eye brows. "I got your phone." she said, lifting her right hand up and waving my phone in my face. "You left it on the table." she explained.

"Aight, whatever. Let's go." I said, leading us to my car. On the walk through the parking lot, I held my arm out behind me, gesturing for Sam to hand me my phone. When a few seconds passed by I turned my head to look behind me. Her gaze was shifting from my hands to my face, and she had a confused look on her face. "My phone." I simply stated.

"Oh." she said, placing said phone in my waiting hand, when realization dawned upon her. I think she was blushing, but couldn't be sure because she hung her head down and her curly blond hair made a curtain around her face. I just shook my head and continued walking to my car.

--

The drive to my house was relatively quiet, the only sound was from my stereo softly playing Tupac music. Tupac is the shit, hands down, he's one of the greatest rappers ever. He rapped about hardships and true shit happening in the hood. It's not only slanging drugs and fucking nigga's up if they talk shit about you, it's about a way of life and doing what you've gotta do to get by. Tupac understands, and he tells it like it is.

Pulling into my drive way, I turn off my ignition and pull my keys out, but stay seated. Sam takes my lead and doesn't move either. I shift my gaze to look at her and notice that she's suddenly very interested in staring intently at her hands while shuffling one thumb over the other quickly. I smile to myself and clear my throat to get her attention.

"C'mon, let's go inside." I said quietly. She nods and gathers her things in the space near her legs and gets out of the car. We walk across my lawn together in silence and she waits patiently as I unlock my front door. I step through the threshold and hold the door open until she walks in all the way. I throw my keys on the kitchen counter and said, "Make yourself at home. There's drinks in the fridge if you're thirsty, chips and cookies in the cabinets if you hungry, and the TV remote should be on the coffee table."

"Oh, okay." she said softly.

"No I'm serious, make yourself at home. I have all kinds of shit in this house." I said seriously, "there's ham in the fridge, too." I said with a smile.

"Okay, okay." she said with a wave of her hand, "Don't regret saying that after you find out all the food's gone." she laughed as she made her way to the living room and plopped down on my sofa. I watched as she casually kicked both of her feet on the table and slouched back into the cushions.

"At least take off your shoes," I tutted, "I do use that table to eat, you know."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." she waved me off, but bent down to take her shoes off and placed it to the side of the sofa. "There, is that better?" she asked with a roll of her eyes, getting comfortable again.

"Yeah, thanks." I said with a laugh. "Imma be in my room. I gotta make a phone call." I murmured. "You need anythin' before I go in there?" I asked.

"Yeah, get the remote for me." she demanded more than asked. I just raised my eyebrows at her and pointedly looked at the remote right next to her feet. "Well, are you gonna stand there all day or get it for me?" she asked annoyed. I just shook my head and made my way around the sofa to grab the remote. I was about to hand it to her when a plan formed in my head. I quickly yanked my hand back, causing her to look at me surprised, and turned the TV on. I turned to the PBS channel and Sesame Street was playing. I looked down at Sam, smirked, then walked away with the remote in hand. "Hey! I don't want to watch no puppets interacting with each other!" she cried out after me.

"Too bad!" I said loudly with a laugh before closing my bedroom door.

--

"_Hello?_" Jerika answered on the second ring.

"Hey...," I trailed off.

"_How are you?_" she asked.

"I think I broke my hand." I replied bluntly

"_What? Why? How?_" she questioned, concern laced in her voice.

"I got into a fight with a tree. It won." I said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"_Why?_"

"I was pissed." I replied unemotionally.

"_Why?_"

"Cuz I know what you're 'bout to do."

"_And what am I about to do?_"

"Break up with me."

"_No, not that!" _she paused._ "I just think we should take a break._"

"Same shit."

"_It's not. We're still together, just not officially._"

"Same shit." I said through clenched teeth.

"_I'm sorry._"

"Just tell me one thing." There's a pause. "Is there another person?"

"_No, there's not._" she answered after a few moments of silence.

"Don't lie to me." I warned

"_I'm not! I've been busy with school and work, how can I have time to cheat on you?" _she asked like she couldn't believe me,_ "See, this is why we need a break. I don't want to have you keep thinking shit like this every time you call and I tell you I'm busy._"

"So a break will stop me from thinkin' shit like this?" I asked incredulously.

"_No, but it'll help me think about things more clearly._"

"Like what?"

"_Like if I really want a relationship with someone who's a thousand miles away and shit._" she muttered

"We've been in this fucking relationship for almost two years! Why do you have to think 'bout it?" I asked, raising my voice.

"_Because it hurts okay!?_" she yelled, finally breaking. "_Every time you say good-bye it fucking hurts. Every time you leave you take a part of me with you. And we don't know when we're gonna see each other again. I love talking on the phone with you and hearing about your day, but it's not enough, okay? I can't have a relationship based on technology. I need you here, with me, not a million fucking miles away!_" she exclaimed quietly.

"But we said we were gonna make it work!" I croaked out softly.

"_Obviously it's not working._" she stated.

"Fuck it then," I murmured angrily.

"_What?_" she gasped, taken aback.

"FUCK IT THEN," I yelled. "You're right, it's not workin'. I'll save you the fuckin' trouble, cuz it's gonna happen one way or the other right? Might as well end it now."

"_If that's what you want_." she said, hurt.

"Of course that's not what I want!" I exclaimed. "I want you, I need you. I fuckin' love you Jerika. I fuckin' do. But you said yourself that this thing we have ain't workin' for us. If you can't get over this stupid fuckin' obstacle that's keepin' me from you physically, then it ain't worth it."

"_It just hurts._"

"Yeah, I know." I said, "But you're not the only one that's getting hurt. I hurt too, okay? If you want a break, I'll give it to you, as long as you want, all the space you need. But I'm warnin' you, I won't wait for you. I won't. I love you, but I'm not gonna hurt myself by waitin' for you."

"_I understand... it's just... I don't know._" she trailed off.

"Look," I sighed, completely exhausted now, "I don't wanna do this shit over the phone. What we have is too good to be ended over a phone call. Christmas is like a week and a half away. Why don't you fly here and we'll talk things out." I offered. "I'll pay for the ticket and everythin', you can leave whenever you want. Or stay until New Years cuz I was plannin' on throwin' a party anyways."

"_Okay,_" she agreed after a few moments of thinking, "that sounds good."

"Aight cool." I sighed, "I'll call that flying agency in the East and you can pick your ticket up sometime this week. I'll call or somethin' and let you know."

"_Okay._" she said quietly.

"Imma go now. My home girl is out in the livin' room waitin' for me."

"_Your home girl?_" she asked indignantly.

"Yeah...," I trailed off, she stopped the tree from attacking me again." I said sarcastically.

"_Oh, okay._" she said, sounding relieved.

"Uh huh... I'll talk to you whenever then."

"_Okay, bye. I—I love you_"

"I love you too. Bye." I sighed and tossed the phone over my shoulders onto my bed. I fell flat onto my back with opened arms and felt like shit. I stayed in that position, staring at the ceiling until I heard a knock at my door. "It's unlocked, come in." I turned my head towards the door as Sam came in. She silently walked over to my bed and I pulled my hands to my side when she laid down next to me in the same position.

"You okay?" she asked slowly.

"You heard didn't you?" I asked, turning my head to look up at the ceiling again.

"Yeah, sorry." she apologized. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but you were talking pretty loud."

"Naw, it's cool." I assured her. "Let's go eat some ham. I'm hungry." I said, turning to her with a smile on her face.

"I ate it all." she admitted sheepishly.

"That's cool, I'll eat the chips then." She shook her head.

"I ate those all too."

"Cookies?" I asked hopefully. I started laughing after she shook her head again. "What didn't you eat?" I questioned.

"I didn't touch the beer."

"Thank you!" I said happily. "I could go for one right now."

"Do you regret telling me to make myself at home now?" she questioned uncertainly.

"Naw." I said with a smile. "You can't regret somethin' that makes you smile." I smiled even more when she looked the other way with a shy look on her face. "C'mon, lets go chill outside." I got up and off of my bed, offering her my good hand.

--

"Thanks." I said, after a couple hours of just chilling, watching TV, and playing some video games. Right now we're posted on my sofa, side by side, in the same position: slouched back on the sofa and legs propped up on the coffee table. I turned my head to look at her and saw that she had a confused look on her face.

"For what?"

"If you weren't here I'd probably be all depressed and drinkin' all the alcohol I have in this house." I admitted.

"No problem, Amanda. No problem." she said with a smile before returning her gaze to the television screen. I smiled at her for a few moments before returning my own gaze to the flat screen.

Maybe moving to Seattle was the greatest decision I've ever made all along.

**A/N: Like I said: Wow, this was a long one. I promise drama in the next chapter. Wayyy more. Like so much more your head is gonna explode! Just kidding, but there will be drama in the next chapter. So uh, review. It makes me happy and encourages me to write more.**


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own nothing you recognize.**

**A/N: This chapter may be a little confusing, but I'll clear it up in the next chapter. Happy Reading.**

**CHAPTER 12**

"Harder." I stopped my fast paced penetrations and slowly pulled out, stopping only when the shaft was fully out, but the tip of the strap on was still in the slit of her entrance. I got on my knees, in between her legs, and pried her long legs open even wider. Hooking my arms under her thighs, I pulled her ass up and rested it on my thighs.

I placed both hands on either side of her head to hold up my upper body. I leaned down to capture her mouth in a kiss, then took her by surprise and started pounding into her. Hard. I pulled out slowly just to ram the strap on deep inside her, thrust after thrust. Her fingernails dug into the skin of my back and I hissed a mixture of pleasure and pain. Leaning in I nuzzled my face into the crook of her damp neck and inhaled. The combination of sweat, sex, and her smell all mixed together got me light headed.

I started kissing down her jawline, to her throat, and stopped at her pulse point. "Oh.. d—don't st—stop. I'm almost ther... OH SHIT." she screamed out as I bit onto her pulse point, then sucked heavily, making sure I left a mark. Her body arched off of the bed, pushing her sweaty breasts into my equally sweaty ones. I slowly reduced my penetrations and watched as she rode out her orgasm. "Wow...," she let out breathlessly, opening her eyes. I gave her a cocky grin and bent down to give her a kiss.

"We ain't done yet." I said with a chuckle. She looked at me questioningly through half lidded eyes that went wide as I slowly kissed my way down her body. The taste of salty sweat was on my lips and it was delicious. As I kissed down her neck, I made my way to her right nipple and teased it with my tongue. When it hardened I bit down, causing her to whimper, then sucked hard, causing her to elicit a moan from deep in her throat. Smirking, I kissed my way through the valley between her breasts and worked on the other nipple.

Satisfied, I slowly traveled down her toned stomach; kissing and licking on every inch and crevice exposed to me. I dipped my tongue into her belly button, and grinned when I felt her shiver beneath me. I loved being in command; something about having an advantage over people excited me.

Just as I was making my way past curly, thick, black hair, my cell phone rang breaking me out of my lust-filled state. I smiled when I heard her groan out a protest. "Fuckin' shit." I muttered. I pulled away from her intoxicating aroma and reached for my phone on the night stand. "Sorry," I apologized.

Finally snapping out of my heated session, I could hear the somewhat muted music blaring all through out my small home. The closed, locked door was vibrating with each beat, and I could hear people screaming over the music, trying to catch each others attention.

"What nigga?" I answered the phone irritated.

"_Sorry Short Shit_," Jonah replied. I could hear the faint sound of music blaring in the background. "_but there's some people out here who says they know you._"

"What the fuck man, it's a party," I said annoyed, "just let 'em in." I felt something tug on the strap on, and looked down to see that the girl was slowly jerking it off. I licked my lips and ran my free hand down her stomach, causing goose bumps to form.

"_Hey, I'm trying to keep this party secure,_" he protested, "_I've been standing out here all night for your ass. Plus, these people look like trouble to me_." I slowly, with the tip of my fingers, made my way down to her most prized possession, and had to hold back a moan when my fingertips softly ran down the slit of her moist entrance.

"Don't trip, cuhz." I breathed out, "just let 'em in. I'm packin' heat, so if they start shit I'll blast 'em, aight?" I assured him.

"_All right._" he said, sounding not so sure. "_Oh yeah, there's this girl with them too. She said she needs to talk to you._" Hearing this got my attention, and I stopped teasing the girl.

"Who?" I asked, ignoring the sound of protest from the raven haired beauty laying on my bed.

"_I don't know, but she's hot._"

"Ask for a name, Dumb Ass." While I waited for him to ask, I started my teasing again. I held my hand palm side up, and with my middle finger, I slowly dragged my finger up the length of her pussy, putting more pressure on her clit before flicking my finger off of her. I shivered when she let out a loud moan.

"_I think she said her name was Erika._" I slowly slid my index and middle finger into her and almost came when I felt how wet she really was. "_Shorty..._" I started off slowly, watching as my fingers slipped in and out of her with ease. I was amazed out how shiny my fingers were; glistening in the moonlight. I started picking up speed, curving my fingers just slightly, and heard her moan out in pleasure when I hit the right spot. "_OH MY FUCKING GOD. Don't tell me you're getting it on right now, Shorty!_"

"Uh huh, yeah." I responded automatically. "Be out in a bit." I hung up the phone, tossed it to the side, and moved down the length of her body so that my face was right in front of her center. Inhaling a deep breath, I almost drooled. She smelled a-fucking-mazing. I replaced the work of my fingers with my tongue and lapped up all of her flowing juice. After a few minutes of tongue fucking her, she finally came again, screaming out in pleasure, and tangled her fingers in my hair; pushing my face even more into her wet cunt. I lapped up every part of her center and rested my chin on her stomach when I was done. I gave her a lazy smirk and looked at her through clouded eye lids. "You taste good." I chuckled.

"Oh yeah?" she asked with a lazily raised eyebrow. I nodded my head, "Let me have a taste." She pulled on my hair and basically dragged me up the length of her body until we were face to face. She surprised me and flipped us over so I was on bottom. I shook my head in amazement and shivered when she leaned down to lick my lips. I opened my mouth and our tongues met in a lazy battle for dominance.

"What time is it?" I asked out of breath.

"Uhh, 11:00pm," she answered after glancing at my alarm clock. I groaned.

"Damn, we've been in here for awhile." I mumbled, "We should head back to the party. What kind of host would I be if I spent New Year's in here with a hot chick instead of sharing her?" I asked teasingly.

"I wouldn't mind." she purred.

"Your boyfriend would." I pointed out.

"He would... if he was here. But Jake's not here, so forget about him."

"Yeah, but the whole football team's out there Tasha, I don't wanna get pummeled to the ground by all of them at once." I reasoned.

"Fine." she whined, lifting her head off my chest. Before she could fully get up, I yanked her back down onto me and shared a last kiss with her.

"Next time, we'll go all night." I promised her with a wink.

--

After the both of us got dressed, she left my room first while I waited a couple minutes before leaving. When I got out of my room, I was greeted by all kinds of drunk/high people.

"SHORTY! Great party!" someone yelled to the left of me. "YEAH!!!" other people agreed with the voice. I just smiled and nodded my head, shaking hands with people as I passed by them. If I was drunk, I would have had a hard time making my way through a crowded house full of people, but since I was sober it was easy. Passing by the kitchen, I grabbed a bottle of Heineken from the cooler, and went towards the front door.

Before I could even get there, someone literally flung themselves on me, and I felt a pair of lips kissing mine. I was shocked, to say the least, but after a few seconds I responded to the kiss. Hey, it's New Year's Eve, so why not? My curiousness got to me and I pulled back from the kiss to see who it was that attacked me.

My eyes widened when I came face to face with a faded Carly. Her eyes were half opened, cheeks were bright red, and she smelled strongly of booze. "Whoa...," I said, pushing her away from me when she tried to make out with me again. "You are so fucked up, Carly." I stated.

"No I'm not!" she whined like a little kid. "I've been wanting to do this since forever." she said before attacking my lips again. Giving in to her, I kissed her back until she went limp in my arms. Freaking out, I held her out in my arms just to find that she passed out. Shaking my head, I looked around and stopped when my eyes landed on a familiar looking face. 'Fuck.' I thought to myself. Breaking eye contact, I looked around until I spotted Rodney.

"Yo, Rip Off!" I yelled over the music. He heard his name and looked over my way with raised eyebrows. I nodded for him to come my way and waited while he did.

"What the fuck happened to her?" he asked alarmingly.

"She's fuckin' gone, cuhz." I answered. "Do me a favor and take her to my room. Lay her down and lock the door when you leave." I told him.

"Why don't you do it?" he asked skeptically. I looked over his shoulder at the girl watching us intently, and nodded my head towards her. Getting curious, he turned around and followed my line of sight. "Isn't that...?" he trailed off.

"Jerika." I finished for him. "Yeah, that's her." I said when he turned back to look at me with questioning eyes.

"She looks hurt." he observed.

"Not as hurt as I am." I stated coldly, averting my eyes from his gaze. "Don't worry. I'll tell you about it later." I said when he put a concerned, comforting hand on my arm. "Just take Carly for me, would ya?" he nodded his head and carried Carly bridal style towards my bedroom. "Thanks." I said silently, even though he was gone.

I quickly opened the bottle of Heineken with my lighter and chugged it down. I went back to the kitchen, which was surprisingly empty, threw away the empty bottle and grabbed a shot glass. I pulled a big bottle of Jack Daniel's out of the fridge and filled the shot glass to its brim. I winced and gasped as the liquid burned my throat on its way down.

"I thought you cut down on the drinkin'," her voiced asked right by my ear. My hand shook, and the liquid spilled out of the cup as I was about to pour another shot.

"I did, until I got fucked over." I said through clenched teeth. I roughly slammed the shot glass on the counter and drank from the bottle instead. Before I could get two gulps in, it was yanked out of my hands. I scowled and turned around to face the reason I cut down drinking in the first place, only to have me start drinking heavily again. "What the fuck do you want, Jerika?" I asked coldly.

"We need to talk." I shook my head.

"How the fuck did you get here anyway?" I ignored her, "I thought I canceled your plane ticket." I asked with a frown.

"I have my ways." she stated quietly, looking down at the floor between us. I frowned and ground my teeth together.

"Probably gave head to a bus driver for a free ride, huh?" I spat out heatedly. I felt bad when she visibly flinched in front of me, but refused to let my anger die down. I had a reason to be angry, and I wasn't going to let her make me feel guilty for treating her this way.

"No," she shook her head quickly, "I came up here with Kevin, Andrew, and Frank." she explained quickly. "Please, can we talk?" she asked, looking up at me with wide, pleading eyes.

"Fine, talk." I said, opening my arms to show her that the floor was all hers.

"In a quieter area?" she pleaded. I pursed my lips together and frowned at her. I reached towards her with a shaky hand and grabbed the bottle of Jack Daniel's out of her clutch, then motioned for her to follow me.

--

It seemed as though everyone somehow _knew_ I was on the market again. Girls were pulling me this way and that, draping all over me like... drapes. Some of the girls even got to sneak a few kisses on my lips when I was trying to push another one away. What's the deal with alcohol, weed, and parties? The three combined make up horny ass teenagers.

"SHORTY!" Jonah yelled when he saw me approaching the back door. I frowned because I thought he was manning the front door, but shook it off. "Take a hit!" he urged, shoving a blunt in my face. I frowned even more and shoved his hand away gently from my face. I shook my head and shoved the bottle of Jack in his face.

"I got this cuhz. Wanna shot?" I asked. He shrugged and took the bottle from my grasp. I watched and scoffed as he started choking after drinking from the bottle. "WEEEEEAK!" I taunted playfully. He glared at me after his coughing subsided, and looked behind me to where Jerika should be standing.

"That's the girl that wanted to talk to you!" he exclaimed a little too loudly. I shook my head and punched him in the arm lightly.

"I know stupid, that's Jerika, not Erika." I said, shaking my head slowly.

"YOUR GIRLFRIEND?! DUDE! SHE'S HOT!" he practically yelled out loudly, causing a few heads to turn.

"Chill nigga! She ain't my girlfriend no more." I said quietly so only he could hear.

"What?! What happened!" he asked with wide eyes. I don't know why, but a faded Jonah is a seriously retarded, funny looking one, so I started laughing. I guess I caught him by surprise when I pulled him in for a big hug, still laughing loudly.

"I fuckin' love you man." I said into his ear. His arm wrapped around me and hugged me back, just as strongly. "I'll tell you everything later, aight?" I felt him nod and pulled away from his embrace.

"I love you too Short Shit!" he exclaimed loudly, slinging an around me. "WHO DOESN'T LOVE SHORTY?!" he asked loudly over the music. Everyone around us cheered and I felt my spirits pick up. "See, everyone loves Shorty." he said proudly after he gave me another hug. He pushed me towards the back door with a smile, and I returned it.

"Thanks man."

"No problem."

--

I was getting irritated. Really I was. We've been out here for a long while now, and she hasn't said one word yet. I shouldn't really blame her though, every time it looked like she was about to say something, someone would come out of the house and spot the bottle of Jack I had with me. They'd stumble over to me and ask for a shot from my bottle. Of course I didn't want to look stingy, so I shared what I had. By the time the sixth or seventh person asked for a shot, my supply was running low; it was then I decided to finish the bottle off myself, I didn't want to risk being 'interrupted' again. Finishing off the bottle I stood up from my seat on the bench, pushed against the back of my house, and walked to the recycling bin to toss the empty bottle.

"So," I started when I sat back down. "You wanted to talk, so talk."

"I don't know where to start..." she said unsure. I leaned back against the wall, extended my legs, and laced my fingers behind my head.

"How about 'I'm sorry.'," I sighed, staring out into the cloudy dark sky. It looked like it was going to rain pretty soon.

"I'm sorry..." she said in a small voice.

"Good, now continue. Lie if you have too, you've been doing it for awhile." I inhaled a deep breath and felt my insides get slightly colder from the crisp late December air.

"I'm really sorry. I don't even know how it happened... it just did." she kept her head down, staring at her laced fingers on her lap, twiddling her thumbs.

"How long?" I asked quietly, closing my eyes and enjoying the cold breeze cool my burning cheeks down.

"Couple weeks before Thanksgiving...," she answered. I scoffed and shook my head. Unbelievable. The signs were all there, but I was too dumb and fucking blinded by 'love' to see it.

"Couple weeks before Thanksgiving...," I echoed. I felt tears threaten to fall, but kept my eyes closed tightly, hoping that it wouldn't. The love of my fucking life has been fucking my stupid ass cousin behind my back since a couple weeks before Thanksgiving. "Great." I chuckled dryly. "Just fuckin' great, Jerika." I said, raising my voice.

"It won't happen again. It'll be over if you forgive me. Please!" she cried, "Forgive me!"

"You're right." I agreed. "It won't happen again..." pause, "it won't happen again cuz we're fuckin' DONE!" I yelled, standing up to face her. "D-O-N-E." I spelled out for her.

"Please, don't do this." she begged. I clenched my jaw and balled my hands into fists as she grabbed onto my hips and hugged her face into my stomach. I shook my head and forcefully pushed her away from me.

"Don't do this?! DONT. DO. THIS?!" I screamed. "You fuckin' did this, I didn't do shit. I was willing to work shit out while you were fuckin' my FUCKIN' COUSIN!" I laughed, a humorless laugh, "I fuckin' disrespected my father, in front of my whole family for you!" I growled out, "I got kicked out of my fuckin' house for you. I don't have a real family because of you... and how do you show your love for me?! BY SLEEPIN' WITH MY COUSIN." I finished off loudly. I was angry, pissed the fuck off.

"I'm s—sorry." she sobbed, tears running down her cheeks like a rapid river. "Please, forgive me." she pathetically tried to grab onto me again, even though I took two steps away from her arms length.

"Forgive you?" I asked incredulously, "I can never forgive you, I will _never _forgive you." I spat out venomously. I stared intently at her crying, shaking form until she lifted her head up to look me straight in the eyes. "You're dead to me Jerika Miller."

"No. no no no." she said, shaking her head violently. "Pl—please... it was a mis—mistake. It wo—won't happen again." Suddenly, she stood up and reached behind her back. I stood my ground as I watched her pull a rose seemingly out of thin air. "Remember this?" she asked breathlessly, holding out the fake rose for me to look at.

**-- Flashback --**

_It was our one year anniversary. A year of sharing feelings that others wished they could feel._

_It was a beautiful night. We went to a fancy restaurant and shared a romantic candlelit dinner. After we ate, we danced with the old folks who shared looks of happiness with us. After dancing we took a nice walk on the beach. Finally, after the beach, we made it back to her house where a romantic setting was presented._

_While we were gone I asked a huge favor from her family; both parents and older brother. I asked them to place a trail of rose petals on the carpet leading to her bedroom where the lights would be dimmed, and there would be candles lit up everywhere. I also asked them to place a dozen red roses on her bed, eleven real and one fake, with a card that I wrote saying: "I'll stop loving you when the last rose dies."_

_She cried when she read it, tears of joy._

_That night we made love, not fucked, but made love... and it was beautiful. A night I knew I was never going to forget._

**--End Flashback--**

Smirking, I reached out a hand to snatch it away from her. With my free hand, I pulled out a lighter from my pocket, and lit the end with the fake petals first. I stood there, holding the last of my love for her while it burned everything we ever had. Through the flames I could see her breaking; sobbing; shaking uncontrollably.

I felt my heart breaking too, but this is how it's got to be. I never really could forgive her for what she did to me, and even if I did, I would certainly never forget about it. Things were never going to be the same for us in this relationship, so I basically saved ourselves from making a huge mistake if we ever did plan on getting back together. If you don't have trust in a relationship, then it just isn't going to work out... the trust I had for her was long out the window now.

"Done." I whispered, dropping the flaming fake stem onto the ground. I stepped on it to put out the fire out, then did the hardest thing I think I've ever had to do: walk away.

--

Walking into the house, everyone was gathered around the flat screen TV in my living room, arms were being slung around each others shoulders. The ball was dropping and my house was filled with everyones voice as they all counted down together. It was suffocating in here, so I decided to go out to the front yard. Making my way through the crowd, I reached the front door as soon as it hit _ten... nine... eight..._ I opened the door and came face to face with a sober looking Sam, staring up at my threshold... _seven... six..._ looking up myself I noticed that there was a mistletoe hanging there... _five... four..._ dropping my gaze, we locked eyes as I stared at her with raised eyebrows... _three..._ we both leaned into each other... _two..._ closed our eyes... _one..._ and shared our first kiss of the new year together.

--

"AYE CUHHHHH," I heard three distinct voices call out to me. I stopped picking up trash, smiled, and turned around to face three dark Cambodian guys. Kevin, Andrew, and Frank looked faded out of their minds. All three had half closed eyes, bloodshot eyes, and smirks on their faces.

"SOOOWOOOP NIGGA." I called back.

"KILLA!" we all laughed and shared hugs.

"Party was crackin' cuhz," Kevin praised, "I haven't been this fucked up since you left LB."

"Cuz a party ain't a party if Shorty's not there." I grinned.

"True that." they all agreed.

"So wassup, you guys spendin' the night or what?" I asked, resuming my clean up duty. Hehe, duty.

"Duh nigga!" Frank exclaimed. "I ain't drivin' home this fucked up." he explained as if I was stupid.

"Yeah Shorty, tryin' to get rid of us?" Andrew teased.

"Hell naw, you guys can help me clean!" I said with a smug grin on my face. I handed each one of them a trash bag, and sent them to do their own thing.

It was late, probably two or three in the morning, when the last of the party goers finally left. My house was a mess. There were plastic red cups everywhere, pieces of chicken bone on the floor, and stains all over my carpet. I shook my head and vowed to never have a party again in my head, although I knew I was going to have another one no matter what.

Making my way to the guest room/game room/office/study, I saw the outline of a girls figure under a blanket. Moving closer, I gently pulled the cover back and was greeted with the sight of my ex-girlfriend fast asleep. She looked horrible; her eyes were puffy, and she had stains on her cheeks from the fallen tears. I shook my head as I pulled the cover back up to her neck, and went to take off her shoes.

After I finished cleaning the guest room/game room/office/study I quietly slipped out of there, turned off the light, and gently closed the door. When I stepped back into the living room, I was pleased to see that it was all clear of loose trash. Nodding my head I stepped into the kitchen and laughed loudly when I saw all three guys bent over by the waist raiding my fridge.

"Fat asses," I snorted.

"Shut up! We got the munchies." Frank defended, sticking his ass out even more. I laughed and slapped his ass.

"What ever, you guys are fat and you know it." I said with a chuckle. "Well uh, imma go to sleep. Looks like you guys are sleepin' in the livin' room tonight."

"WHA—ow!" I heard Kevin exclaim from inside the fridge. He pulled his head out and rubbed at the back of it with his right hand.

"Jerika's knocked out in the guest room." I explained. They all looked at me curiously.

"... and why aren't you sleepin' with her?" Frank asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Cuz I don't wanna...," I trailed off, rubbing the back of my neck with my right hand.

"You found out didn't you? That's why David's in the hospital huh?" Frank pushed. My eyes went wide and I felt anger swell up inside me. I fucking knew it! They all knew, that's why they were all acting weird when Jerika and David were in the same room on Thanksgiving.

"I'll leave extra blankets and pillows outside my door for ya." I said through clenched teeth before spinning on my heels to make my way to my room. When I tried to turn the door knob, it was locked. Frowning, I pulled the room key from my left back pocket and unlocked the door. Right when I walked in I heard deep, even breathing, and tensed up.

I relaxed when I rewound the nights event and remembered I told Rodney to bring Carly into my room. Jeez, can this night get any weirder?! Shaking my head, I went into my closest and pulled out blankets and pillows for the guys. Like I said I would, I left the things right outside my door and closed it with a soft click.

Sighing, I shed off all of my clothes until I was in shorts and a tank top. I hesitated before finally slipping into the furthest spot away from Carly. I laid on my back, hands behind my head, and stared up at the dark ceiling. I tensed as I felt Carly reach a hand out to grab onto my tank top. Before I knew what was happening she was pulling me towards her by my tank top.

We were laying face to face, on our sides. She literally had her whole body thrown on top of mine, cuddling me closer to her. I stayed awake for as long as I possibly could before my brain decided to shut off and everything went blank. The last thing I remember was Carly sighing out my name before I fell into a deep sleep.

Yeah, this night pretty much did get weirder.

**A/N: Major drama or what? I know I probably left you with questions, I'm sure they'll be answered in the next chapter. Well yeah, tell me what you think?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own the productions of iCarly, but boy, if I did... things would sooo totally be different.**

**A/N: So like... it's my sister-in-laws birthday tonight, and all the old folks went to the casino, leaving me to babysit my niece. Right now she's snuggled in my bed... but I'm worried that she might pee in her sleep, on my bed! O.O Anyways, I'm not too happy with this chapter, but it's been too long and I wanted to give you guys something. Cuz something is better than nothing, right?**

**CHAPTER 13**

A couple of months has passed by since New Years, it's almost spring break, and life has turned out to be pretty interesting. Tasha is my "main squeeze" right now, and she has been since Jake caught us making out in the hallway after school a week after winter break was over. It still makes me laugh when I think about it.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_It was the end of a Friday, and the hallways were quickly clearing out, no one wants to be at school longer than they have to be. I was at my locker, pulling out books that I needed for the weekend, when I felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around my waist from behind. Confused and frowning, I turned around to meet hazel eyes. Realization dawned on me, and the frown was replaced with a smirk._

"_'Sup, sexy?" I asked, "to what do I owe this pleasure?"_

"_I couldn't stop thinking about you since New Years," she admitted with a shy smile, "You know, you're a hard person to find, it took me all week to find you." she added._

"_Oh yeah?" I asked with on raised eyebrow, "wanna reenact that night over again? No interruptions this time," I offered with a wink._

"_I think I might just take you up on that offer," she accepted with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Her arms unwrapped themselves from my waist and traveled up my sides, forming goosebumps in their wake, and re-wrapped around my neck._

_My hands snaked around her back and slipped into her back pockets, pulling her body flush against mine. "How about tonight?" I whispered huskily in her ear. After I felt her nod in agreement, I pulled back with a smirk and leaned in to brush my lips against hers, "Come by around seven."_

"_Okay," her breath was hot against my lips and it took everything in my power to not turn us around and slam her against the lockers then take her right then and there. A second later, I felt her lips press against mine and I returned the kiss. I took her bottom lip in between my teeth and tugged at it playfully, earning a gasp in return. Taking advantage of her mouth being slightly open from the gasp, I slipped my tongue into her mouth and heard her let out a throaty moan when our tongues finally met. I pulled her body closer to mine, and lifted her up making her wrap her legs around my hips. I turned us around and roughly slammed her against the lockers._

_Just as I was getting more into the kiss, I felt a sharp jab hit me on my ribs from behind. Wincing, I let go of Tasha and dropped her onto her feet. Turning around, my right cheek was met with a fist. I stumbled back against the lockers for a moment and blinked my eyes a couple of times from shock. When I looked up, I saw one very pissed off looking Jake Krandell. Then I started laughing while holding onto my cheek._

"_You hit like a bitch." I chuckled._

"_Fuck you, you piece of shit!" he exclaimed, charging towards me with his shoulders. I was still a little out of it, and just stood there as his shoulders met with my stomach. The wind was knocked out of my lungs as I collided with the lockers behind us with a bang. I guess on the impact, his head met with the lockers also and he pulled back with a dazed look on his face._

"_Don't hate just cuz you can't satisfy your girlfriend." I wheezed out._

_Taking in a huge breath of air I marched right up to him and punched him in his jaw as hard as I could. As he stumbled backwards, I took a step forward and punched him with my other fist. This continued until his back met with the lockers, where he put his hands up to cover his face. After a few more punches, he blocked one of my swings with his arm and punched me in the stomach, as I doubled over he grabbed onto the back of my head and rammed me into the locker. I fell on the floor and held onto my head, I felt warm liquid slowly gush out from a cut on my forehead._

_I shook off my dazed feeling and kicked him in the shin as he made his way over to me. He lost his balance and fell on top of me, I fisted his collar and rolled us around so that I was sitting on top of him. I took my elbow and hit him square in the nose and upper lip before he had a chance to guard himself, I could see the whites of his eyes as I elbowed him again. I replaced my elbow with my fists and continually pounded him in the face making more blood seep out of his nose and mouth._

"_STOP! Shorty, stop!!" I could hear Tasha scream in the back, "Please! Someone, help!" Even if she was right beside me, trying to pull me off of him, it felt as though she was miles away. When I'm in a fight, that's all I think about, fighting. Nothing else is around me except my opponent. Nothing crosses my mind except hurting the person who's trying to fight me._

_I really think I would have beaten him to death if I wasn't pulled away abruptly by the collar of my shirt. I was pulled back into reality and finally saw the damage that I'd done. Jake was bloody, his whole face was covered in blood, so were my fists. He looked like he was long gone, out cold... knocked the fuck out. Serves him right, no one fucks with me and expects to get away with it._

_A smirk found its way to my face as I stared down at his unconscious body_

_Since the hallways were practically empty when the fight started, no students were around to witness Jake Krandell get knocked around... by a girl. It turned out to be the principal who stopped me from pummeling Jake any longer. I was suspended for a week even though he was the one that started the fight._

_During that week I stayed home and was so bored during the daytime. When nighttime fell, Tasha found her way to my house and kept me entertained for awhile. I guess being able to beat the shit out of a jock turns her on. Just as I promised, there was never an interruption when we were fooling around._

_**END FLASHBACK**_

To say that people were surprised when they saw her making out with me after my suspension was over would be an understatement. Hell, even Jonah and Rodney were shocked. It was all people could talk about the whole day. I was enjoying it the first three periods, but after the fourth I was getting annoyed and irritated. By lunch time, I would glare at anyone even looking at me and bump right into the people who were whispering to each other when I was walking their way.

When Jake went M.I.A the week I came back, all kinds of rumors were spread again. Some said that he caught us fucking in a janitors closet and killed himself because he was so heartbroken. Others said that I broke every bone in his body because I was jealous of him being the quarterback and Tasha is only with me because she's scared I might do the same to her. The rumors just kept going, I swear kids in high school have nothing else better to do than to defame people.

When he came back the following week, the bruises around his eyes were faint, but could still be seen. He had a scar on his bottom lip, and he had a newly formed nose. Instead of having a straight nose, he had a bump on the bridge of his nose, I guess I broke it when I elbowed him in the face, twice. Every time he spots Tasha all over me, he sends a death glare at me. All I did was smirk at him and make out with her right then and there.

Even though I have a some what relationship with Tasha, I still mess around with other girls too. I mean we aren't a couple, but she's always around and claiming me as hers. When I try to flirt with other girls she _always_ pops out of no where and hug up on me. It gets annoying sometimes, especially when I'm trying to get to know Sam. I wanted to know everything about her. Who'd she get her eyes from? Cuz her eyes are _gorgeous_. Where'd she get her spunky personality? Cuz her personality's one of a kind, I'd never known another girl like her. Everything about her makes me want to get to know her.

Ever since the New Years party, we've been flirting with each other openly. The only time we don't is when Tasha's around. Sam stays to herself when Tasha is with me, even when I try to talk to her. She has this on and off flirting button too. When I ask Tasha to get me something to eat or drink she turns the switch on immediately after Tasha is gone and flirts with me the whole time, then when she sees Tasha walking back, she switches off and stays quiet. It gets me so angry sometimes, the way she switches on and off, but I can't really blame her. I'm the one that likes her too, but I continue to have these little flings with other girls, especially Tasha.

Things with Carly turned out interesting as well. She _did_ have feelings for me, until I introduced her to Kevin that morning after New Years. We were obviously flirting with each other, eating breakfast, until the guys and Jerika woke up. Her attention went from me to Kevin in less than two seconds. It's funny when I think about it, that girl bounces quick!

_**FLASHBACK**_

"_Good morning," Carly called out in a raspy voice from behind me. I stopped scrambling the eggs in the skillet and turned around to greet her with a smile._

"_'Sup. How ya feelin'?" I turned my attention back to the eggs and mixed them some more before turning the stove off and transferring the eggs to a large plate that was already occupied with piles of bacon, and sausages._

"_Like shit." she croaked out, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. I smiled at her cuteness and pulled two plates off of the dish rack and handed one to her._

"_I bet you do," I agreed, "you were pretty smashed last night." I turned around as she sat down on a stool next to the counter and began serving herself, and made my way to the rice cooker. After scooping two heaping piles of rice onto my plate I turned back around to see her staring at me curiously, "what?" I asked slowly._

"_Is that rice?" she asked like I was crazy. I stood in place and nodded my head slowly, "Rice for breakfast?" she emphasized the breakfast part. I nodded my head again and made my way to the cabinets that were near the fridge and pulled out a bottle of soy sauce, "and soy sauce?!" she asked incredulously._

"_Hey, don't assume anythin' until you've tried it!" I said, shaking a finger in her face after placing the plate and soy sauce on the counter. I took a seat next to her and lightly drizzled some soy sauce over my rice (if you put too much the rice is going to get salty!). I mixed the rice until I was sure every bit had soy sauce on it, then scooped a spoonful of eggs onto my plate, "Try it," I encouraged, holding a small serving on my spoon, next to her mouth. She hesitantly opened her mouth and I gently shoved the spoon in between her lips, pulling it out only after her lips closed around the spoon. "So....," I trailed off, watching her chew slowly._

"_You're right! That is good." she agreed with a smile on her face. "What are you? Chef Shorty 'R De?"_

"_When I wanna be!" I answered like I was offended. "Just so you know... Asian's eat everything with rice." I informed with a nod of my head. "We eat rice all day everyday. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Morning, noon, afternoon, night, midnight, and everything in between!" I rambled on, only stopping when a strip of bacon was forced into my mouth. I frowned at her as I chewed on the bacon, making it get shorter and shorter until it was all gone. "You're lucky I love bacon, I would've spit everything out and forced it in your mouth." I stated with a glare. She was about to respond when voices were heard._

"_I smell food."_

"_Smells good."_

"_I hungry." Carly looked at me with wide eyes when she found out that we had company. I smiled and toasted a spoonful of rice and eggs at her before putting the contents in my mouth._

"_Fat asses," I called out to them after swallowing. "Better come get some before I eat it all." I laughed when I heard the guys shuffling and obviously pushing each other out of the way to get to the food._

"_You better not, bish!" I heard Kevin say before quickly walking into the kitchen, "You always do tha-. Whoa, hey there." he stopped mid-sentence when he noticed that I wasn't alone, and used his deep 'smooth' voice while leaning against the door frame in his supposedly cool stance._

"_Move! You're in the way you dark shit." Andrew said, before pushing Kevin away from the door. "'Sup Shorty... and her friend." he greeted, getting his own plate and walking to the rice cooker._

"_What the hell Kevin! MOVE!" Frank grunted, pushing Kevin even more into the kitchen when he stumbled in his way. "Don't you know to NOT stand in my way when it comes to food?!" he exclaimed seriously._

"_You guys are fuckin' dicks." he mumbled under his breath. While Carly had her head down during the whole situation laughing silently to herself, I was watching the exchange in amusement and laughing ridiculously loud._

"_God, I've missed you dumb asses." I chuckled lightly. "Oh yeah," I started when I saw the look Kevin was giving me, "this is Carly." I said, pointing at her with my elbow. "Carly," I waited until she looked up at me, "these are my cousins Kevin and Frank." I signaled to each of them as I called their names, "and that fat ass over there is Andrew." I said, tossing my head to where he stood behind us._

"_Nice to meet you, Carly." Kevin held out a hand for her to take. When she did, he brought the back of her hands to his lips and kissed it while staring deep into her eyes. I smiled in amusement and gave a look to Frank and Andrew, who also had the same looks on their faces. Carly's already fallen for the dark shit I called my cousin, and all three of us knew it._

"_Good morning...," a weak voice was heard and got our full attention. Everyone in the kitchen stood in place and turned their attention to Jerika who was standing in the doorway looking like a scared little girl. Her eyes were red, and her eyelids were puffy, indicating that she'd been crying all night. It took everything in me to get up and pull her into a comfortable hug._

"_'Sup." Kevin greeted._

"_Mornin'." Andrew mumbled._

"_Yo." Frank grunted_

"_Hello." Carly said._

"_G'mornin'," I greeted almost painfully. The guys knew why I sounded like that, but Carly didn't. She turned towards me and gave me a concerned look. "Carly, meet Jerika. Jerika, Carly." I introduced them._

"_You mean your-."_

"_Ex," I, and the three guys, stated in unison cutting her off before she could even muster up the word,_

"_... girlfriend," she finished with wide eyes. Looking between me and Jerika a couple of times before returning to her food._

"_Yeah..." I trailed off, giving a look to Jerika before turning my attention away from her. "Plate's are over there, rice cooker's over there, and food's over here." I pointed out to her dully._

"_Thank you," I heard her say quietly, before making her way around my already crowded kitchen._

_**END FLASHBACK**_

Carly and Kevin has been talking ever since that day. What started as a long distance relationship has now become a ... local one, I guess. Kevin moved in with me a month ago after he got kicked out of his house. His parents were sick and tired of always either picking him up in jail or having the police knocking on their door at odd hours of the night. Parents can only take so much!

Since he had Carly, he asked if he could move in with me, and of course I said sure. The house wouldn't be so lonely and I'd have someone help pay the rent. It might not be _clean_ money, but it's still money. Their relationship started out with phone calls, text messages, and instant messages now they're able to actually make plans and go through with it.

It's always a beautiful thing when two persons finally found someone for themselves. I'm a little skeptical though... I don't like family and friends going out together, it never ends well. Kevin's known to be a player too, but I'm trusting him to not fuck up this relationship with Carly. I'm pretty sure Carly could be the girl to change him too.

Oh yeah, did I mention anything about not working at the donut shop no more? Well, I don't. After that fight I had with Jake, my aunt told me to stay home for that weekend because I looked pretty banged up. The week after that, when I went back to work, there was another baker there!! I was angry at first, but became understanding when she said that I was going through a lot of shit in my life at the moment, and she didn't want to overwhelm me. After a while, I just felt relieved. I didn't have to overwork myself over the weekends and had time to relax and go out instead. She also said if I needed help with financial problems, then she'd help me.

I don't think I'll be needing any help from her... I went back to slanging drugs in the more run down area of Seattle. It's just me and Kevin standing on the corner of a new block every night, selling weed and pills to anyone who asked. We've had a few problems with the police. Some nights found us running around the block, dodging cops left and right to my car, then speeding the hell out of there to a less conspicuous area until we were sure the coast was clear before driving home.

Not only was I slanging drugs again, I got back into gang banging too. Whenever it's just me and Kevin, we ride around Seattle pretty much _looking_ for trouble. This one night we found a popular hang out spot for Bloods. They were all decked out in red... red shirt, red pants, red rags, red socks... there was a whole lot of red. Too much red for our likings, so we stopped the car and got out ready to wreck all kinds of havoc. To say the least, we got pretty fucked up. It was two of us against fifteen of them. Not really smart on our parts, but it kind of felt good to start shit for no reason.

When I was with Jerika, I refrained from doing any gang banging, I cut down the fights and selling drugs... all because of her. But she's not a part of my life no more, so I could do whatever I want and need to do to get by, even if the decisions I make could kill me... what else did I have to live for?

--

It was two in the morning when the loudness of my ring tone woke me up. I untangled my arms, legs, and body from Tasha and reached for my cell phone on the night stand, accepting the call without even looking at the caller I.D.

"Hello?" I greeted groggily, pretty much still asleep. Being awakened abruptly isn't my thing.

"Shorty!!" Carly's anxious voice called out to me from the other end. Hearing the despair and urgency in her voice, I immediately shot out of bed.

"What?! What's wrong?!" I asked, already running around my room looking for clothes to wear.

"I-it's Sam!" she cried out hysterically.

**A/N: HA! Cliffhanger... I've always wanted to stop a chapter with one of those xD so uh, what's happened to Sam?! And why's Carly freaking out over her?! You'd just have to stay tuned for more. I really want to say sorry for the long wait for chapters to come out. I don't even have an excuse for the delays... I've just been lazy -__-**

**A/N #2: I guess I just wanted to have a time jump and catch you up on things... AND give you a little glimpse of what's gonna happen in the next chapter.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own nada.**

**A/N: WHOOT! Yay, iCarly won for best television show! Does the happy dance* lol. Anyways, I think this is the fastest I've updated for this story. Hehe? I've been lagging with the other stories, sorry 'bout that. Spring break is coming up, I would say I'll probably have more updates up soon, but that's a lie, and I don't like lying. Anyways... HAPPY READING.**

**CHAPTER 14**

Hearing her name, combined with the way Carly sounded, made me choke on a breath of air and made my heart stop mid-beat. As I coughed a couple of times, it felt as though my body temperature dropped below zero. I froze in place, the phone securely in between my shoulder and ear, with one leg in the left pant hole, and held in a breath waiting for her to continue.

"_She said she's sick of everything!_" Carly cried out, "_she said she's leaving and never coming back!_" Just like that, time picked up again and I was moving around double speed.

"What you mean 'leaving and never coming back'?" I asked, throwing on a zip-up hoodie over my white tank top.

"_Her mom's a skunkbag! That's why._" she exclaimed. "_She's been a jerk to her since she found out last year._" she mumbled.

"What? Found out what?" I asked, totally confused. My mind was reeling as I tried to to slip on my right shoe onto my left foot. "ARGHH!" I groaned, frustrated. I threw my shoe at the wall and went in search of a pair of sandals instead.

"_Sam will tell you when she's ready,_" Carly sighed, "_just please, find her before she does something stupid._" she pleaded. I stopped my movement and stood still.

"Don't worry, I'll find her." I assured not only her, but myself as well. "Stay home, just in case she heads your way, and Kevin'll stay here." I walked to my nightstand and slipped on my glasses.

"_Okay..._" Carly agreed hesitantly, I knew she wanted to come along, but it's late and dangerous at this hour of night. "_Find her..._"

"I will Carls, don't trip." I reassured her. "Now tell me where her mom lives." I demanded. Carly was silent for a few moments, obviously wondering why I wanted to know where she lived, but didn't ask. After she gave me her address and directions, I shook Tasha awake by her legs roughly. I swear that girl would most likely sleep through a hurricane.

"What?" she asked sleepily, not even opening her eyes.

"Where are my sandals?"

"Check under the bed." I furrowed my eyes brows and dropped on all fours next to my bed then looked under the mattress. Sure enough, there were about five different pairs of sandals under there. Frowning even more, I pulled a pair out and slipped them on. It was then that I realized she was at my house TOO often.

"Wake up, you gotta go." I said, pulling the covers completely off of her naked form. If I wasn't so worried about Sam and her well being, I would have jumped on Tasha all over again. "Seriously! You gotta go!" I yelled, slapping her hard on her right butt cheek. My hand print was slowly forming in red on her tanned skin.

"What the fuck Shorty?!" she exclaimed, right hand flying to her injured cheek. She sat up abruptly and gave me a death glare. I ignored her and went in search of my wallet and car keys. "Where the fuck are you going anyways?" she screeched.

"The fuck away from you!" I said coldly. "Leave before I get back, or else." I threatened before walking out of my room to Kevin's across the hall. I tried turning the door knob but it was locked, so I banged on it. "Wake the fuck up nigga!" I yelled at the door. It swung open dangerously fast, I was surprised it didn't break off the hinges.

"What the fuck cuh?! Why the fuck you yellin' and screamin' so late at night?!" he asked incredulously.

"It's Sam, nigga." I explained vaguely. "I'll tell you everythin' when I find her, but just stay here in case she comes. Call me if she does." I turned to walk away and my head to look at him slightly, "oh yea, change my sheets when Tasha leaves, kay, thanks!" I threw at him before jogging out the house and into my car.

--

The street names just blurred right past me as I zoomed from street to street. The directions that Carly gave me to Sam's house seemed familiar, and now that I was actually on the road following the directions, I understood why. It was in the shadier part of Seattle where Kevin and I sold drugs. I didn't know Sam lived on this side, no wonder she always seemed to be at Carly's house.

Pulling up to the house with the messy lawn and dead grass, I stared at it in amazement before getting out of my car and stalking up the walkway. I banged on the door and was surprised when it creaked open wider with each bang of my fists. Pushing the door all the way, I stepped inside and noticed how out of place everything seemed. There were knick knacks all over the floor, broken glass and lamps were piled on top of each other on one side of the living room, and the furnitures were flipped upside down.

Cautiously, I walked across the living room and walked down an equally messy hallway. There, at the end of the hallway, was a closed door that had its light on. Slowly, I walked to that door and opened it as quietly as I could. When it was open just a crack I saw an outline of a very skinny and boney female. Her hair was a dirty blond and fell in curls just like Sam's. She was bent over the counter of the sink, obviously doing something illegal. I looked up into the mirror and saw that she was lining up some powdery substance. Crack. No doubt about it. Just as she was about to snort the drug, I barged in and scared her, causing the drug, and the makeshift flat surface she was using to fall on the floor.

I recognized her the instant she turned around to face me. She came by once, when Kevin and I were around the corner, and asked if we had any 'real shit' on us. We looked at her incredulously and told her to fuck off, but she kept coming back asking the same question. We got sick of her pestering and decided to take our business else where.

"You?! You're Sam's mom?!" I asked incredulously, in disgust.

"Who the fuck are you?! And look what you fucking did!" she exclaimed, pointing to the white substance on the floor.

"Shut the fuck up," I snarled, standing straighter, pushing my chest out, and squaring my shoulders with balled up fists at my sides. "Now what the fuck did you do to Sam to make her wanna leave?!" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Nothing!" she cowers, "I didn't do anything!"

"Fuck you! You're lyin'," I lean more into her personal bubble. She cowers even more.

"Alright!" she held her hands up as if she was surrendering, "I told her she was a poor excuse for a daughter." she admitted. "She's fucking gay! GAY! Can you believe that shit?! No daughter of mine is gay. If she chooses that road then she ain't my daughter. She tried to make me 'understand' but I'm not gonna have any of that gay shit in my home! I tried to _smack_ some sense into her, but she still chooses the wrong road!" Getting angrier at every word coming out of this bitches mouth, I pulled my right hand up to the left side of my shoulder, and almost back handed her before my phone started ringing.

"Ooh, you lucky bitch." I glared at her while retrieving my phone out of my front pocket. "What?" I answered heatedly.

"_Sam's at the bus station._" Carly's hoarse voice replied.

"Aight, I'll be there soon... gotta handle some business." With that, I hung up and shoved my phone back into my pockets. "You listen here, and you listen good." I demanded, "I don't give a fuck if you're her mother or not, if I see you anywhere near her I'll fuckin' make your life a livin' hell. You understand?" she nodded her head slowly. "If and when I find her, and she has so much as a tiny scratch on her, I'll come back here and fuckin' kill you. Do you understand _that_?" as she nodded her head again, I turned around and made my way out the door.

"Fucking bitch." I heard her mutter under her breath, almost inaudibly. I turned back around on the heels of my feet and back handed her roughly on her cheek. As she fell to the floor, I loomed over her and looked at her with disgust.

"You want drugs? Sniff the shit on this fuckin' floor. You ain't gettin' shit from around here no more." I stalked out of the bathroom, down the hall, across the living room, down the walk way, and jumped into my car. "Sam must have been adopted, there's no way in hell she came from that trash." I said to myself before burning rubber and speeding to the bus station.

--

"Yo," I barked, banging on the window separating me from the guy in the ticket booth. It's been a long night and I kind of, some what, rather, got lost on the way to the bus station. It was late, dark, and I was hungry. Nothing was going how I wanted it too, and I was getting frustrated as hell.

"Yeah?" he asked slowly, scared almost.

"Have you seen a girl about yay high," I held my hand up an inch or three above my head, "curly blonde hair, blue eyes, probably red from crying, and lookin' like she wanted to get away?" I asked quickly, all in one breath.

"I don't know." he responded, with a shrug, "probably." I got angry at his carefree answer.

"The fuck you mean 'probably'?" I asked through gritted teeth, "If you don't give me a proper answer I'll punch your teeth in." I threatened.

"I'd like to see you try." he said smugly, reclining back into his seat and crossing his arms over his chest. I narrowed my eyes at him, gripped the edges of the counter, and leaned more towards the booth.

"There's a way in and out of this fuckin' booth, if you keep on fuckin' with me I'll find my way in and fuck your ass up." I snarled, "now have you or haven't you seen her?!" I barked out menacingly.

"Alright alright!" he said quickly, shooting up straighter in his seat after realizing I wasn't joking around. "She bought a ticket thirty minutes ago," he said, checking his computer, "the bus is leaving in five minutes." he informed.

"Just fuckin' great!" I yelled at him, "you fuckin' wasted precious minutes for me, you fuckin' dick. I would've found her already." I said shaking my head. "Give me a ticket to wherever she's goin', and if you fuck me over I'll find out where you live and smother you to death in your sleep."

--

The bus that we were taking just had to be parked at the furthest spot in the damn parking lot. After buying my ticket, I pretty much sprinted all the way there in the rain. Ain't that some shit? It's almost spring break and it's raining. As I got nearer, the bus that seemed small from a distance, turned into a huge one. It was a double decker bus, like the tourists ones. As I got to the door, I slowed down to a stop and doubled over, hands on knees, trying to catch my breath. Never in my life have I been so tired, not even when I was running from the cops.

As I stepped onto the first landing, I looked around and saw an old couple, a mother and her child, and a man that looked so out of it, he was probably on drugs. I turned to the short flight of stairs, and made my way up to the second landing. It was empty, well I thought it was. I was about to turn back around and beat the shit out of the ticket booth guy, thinking he fucked me over, when I heard a sniffle coming from way in the back.

As I was slowly making my way back there, the bus lurched forward and I lost my step, causing me to fall face first on the dirty aisle. Shaking my head, I pushed myself up and grumbled inappropriate things under my breath.

When I got closer to the back, I saw the top of her blond head. I finally stopped right next to her and took in her posture. Her legs were pulled up to her chest, arms were wrapped tightly around her shins, and her forehead was on her knees. She was at the point of crying where you've stopped, but your breathing comes out a bit hitched, and she's hiccuping every other second. I've never seen her so broken before in my days of knowing her. Every time I saw her, she was tough and didn't let people in, now she looked so vulnerable and fragile.

I cautiously sat in the seat next to hers, and took in a deep breath then slowly let it out. "So... where're we headed?" I asked quietly. At the sound of my voice, she stiffened up and tried to shrink further into the corner of the seat. I just wanted to reach out and hold her, but not wanting to frighten her, I refrained from doing so.

"Vegas." she finally answered in a scratchy voice, keeping her head down.

"_Viva _Las Vegas?" I asked in a surprised tone. She kept her head down, but nodded her head in response. "Sweet!" I exclaimed excitedly, pumping my fists in the air, "I haven't been there in awhile. Sin City, here we come!" I finished, practically bouncing up and down in the seat like a kid who's consumed too much sugar.

"We?!" she asked like I was crazy, "Look buddy, I don't know who you are, bu-," she stopped her rant mid-sentence when she finally looked up and noticed that it was me sitting beside her. "Amanda?! What the hell are you doing here?!" she asked with wide, red and puffy, eyes.

"Uhh..," I started, "see what had happened was," I smacked my lips together, "I had gotten a call that woked me up at two in the A.M that scurred me." I stopped to smile when Sam started to giggle, then continued using my normal voice. "See, I was informed that this beautiful blond haired, blue eyed girl with a spunky attitude was gonna leave and never come back." I paused to breathe, "and normally... I wouldn't care. But you see.. this girl kinda, sorta, has a li'l big piece of my heart. If she were to leave without saying bye, then that'd feel like a slap in the face and a kick towards my imaginary nutts." I explained, looking her straight in the eyes.

"I-I'm s-sorry." she stammered, ripping her gaze away from my eyes. "I didn't think you'd care." she admitted softly. I traced the outline of her jaw with a finger, and stopped at her chin, gently forcing her to look at me.

"Of course I care. I don't always show it, but I do..." I explained, "right here." With my free hand, a gently pounded a fist on the right side of my chest. With a small smile on her lips, she giggled and shook her head then pulled on my wrist and moved my fist to the left side. "Oh... right here." I said, gently pounding my chest again.

"You're such a dork." she giggled.

"Chyea, but I'm _your_ dork... and a cute one at that." I gave her a cheesy smile and carelessly tossed an arm over her shoulder, then pulled her close for a hug. She nuzzled her head into my chest, and I propped my chin on her head. "Everything'll be alright... you gotta go through the bad to get ta the good." I whispered. "I'll be right here for you whenever you need me, aight?" I felt her nod her head against my chest.

"Thank you..." she said softly, "for coming after me. I probably ruined your night, huh?" she asked, slowly pulling away from my embrace. I frowned and shook my head.

"Nahh, you made it better. I wasn't doin' anythin' anyways." Except sleep with a naked Tasha right next to me, I thought to myself.

"Are you just saying that? You weren't with someone were you...?" she asked like she wanted to know, but didn't want to know either. I held in a breath as I thought of an answer. I could lie to her, but she'll most likely find out the truth anyways... or I could tell her the truth, hurt her, but try to make it better.

"I mean... I was just sleepin'... with uhh... Tasha... but that's just it.. sleepin'," _naked_. I muttered, suddenly feeling like the seats were caving in on me. A flash of hurt glistened in her eyes before an unreadable expression formed on her face.

"Oh... well sorry if my almost abrupt departure disrupted anything." she stated, looking out the window.

"Sam..." I sighed after a long pause between us. She stared out the window with a sad look on her face, as I stared at her trying to find anything that'll tell me how she's feeling.

"I thought you'd be different." she admitted, still looking out the window. "I mean, I understood you had a girlfriend... but you still showed interest in me somewhat. You actually cared and gave me the time and day whenever you noticed something was wrong with me. I thought that if things weren't working out with your relationship, then I'd be the first girl on your list or what ever." she turned her gaze away from the window to the clasped hands on her lap. "Then when I finally heard about you being 'on the market' again, I got so excited. I thought we could've had something... and then you came back to school with Tasha Jones all over you. Not only that, but every other week I always heard a new story about you and some other girl. My hopes were diminished and I felt like a fucking dumb ass... played again by someone who I thought was different." she finally looked up into my eyes with hurt written all over her features.

"But I _am_ different." I defended, taking her hands in mine, grasping them tightly. "Please, you gotta understand that..." I begged.

"How do you expect me to understand you're different when you do what every other player out there does?" she asked harshly, trying to pull her hands out of my grasp. "You're fucking Tasha, everyone knows that! Not only her, but you've probably slept with half the schools population of girls."

"Look, okay!" I growled, pulling her hands towards my chest causing her to move closer to me as well, "I just got out of a damn relationship! I've got some fuckin' commitment issues right now; it's hard for me to just give my heart out to someone, especially after how the fuckin' relationship ended in the first place. I don't want to start anything with you when I'm feelin' like this, can you at least understand that?" I asked looking deeply into her eyes.

"So what, in order to 'cope' with a failed relationship, you have to fuck every girl with a pulse?!" she asked incredulously with an angry stare.

"Yeah! You've got me all figured out!" I yelled, pushing her hands away from me, "because every girl that I fuck is another way to get back at her, to show her that I don't need her. To show her that her fuckin' my cousin behind my back doesn't mean shit to me. So do you wanna be one of those tally marks on my bed post?! You could be one of those girls who'll help me get back at her, or you could be so much more than a useless fuck." I explained with an uneven breathing pattern. "Please... I just need you to understand and be patient." I begged in a quiet voice after getting my breathing back to normal.

She sat there and stared at me for what seemed like an eternity before responding, "I don't understand, I just don't. If you really liked me and cared for me as much as you say you do, then you wouldn't even bother fucking around with all these other girls." she said, standing up and gathering all of her things. I panicked and shot my leg up to the seat in front of me, keeping her from having an easy access out from her side.

"What are you doin'?" I asked in a shaky voice.

"I'll be patient, I will... but I won't wait for you forever." she explained, stepping over my legs "I'll be in the front. Come talk to me when you've stopped being an idiot and finally come to your senses." With that she walked down the aisle and sat at the very first seat in the front of the bus.

"Fuck!" I barked, hitting the seat in front of me multiple times. How the fuck did things go from good, to bad, to worse in a matter of minutes?! Fucking shit. I sank back into my seat and crossed my arms over my chest, thinking over what she just said in my head over and over again. This is going to be one of the most longest road trip's ever.

**A/N: La de da de da de da... I've got two essays that needs to be written out, math problems that need to be solved, and a psychology test that I need to study for, but I just can't! I've had ideas running through my head that were just begging to be typed up, so yeah... hope you enjoyed!**

**A/N again: croaker, i've got something planned for seddieaddict... and you're gonna be involved in it! LOL .. so uhh, look out for the next couple of chapters.. you'll see what I mean 8)**


	15. Chapter 15

**DISCLAIMER: Still is what it's always been.**

**A/N: I might redo this chapter. Not really happy with it. But it's heading the way I want it too. Anyway, happy reading and review when you're through with it =)**

**CHAPTER 15**

I woke up when the bus lurched to a stop, and my face was practically smashed into the back of the seat in front of me. Frowning and mumbling inappropriate things under my breath, again, I pushed myself off of the seat and stood up to stretch. I guess I fell asleep for awhile because when I looked out the window the sun was just barely peeking out behind some buildings. There were passengers standing outside the gas station, talking, stretching, and buying things to eat.

I stood there and wondered why it felt like I forgot to do something when my phone started vibrating, informing me that I had a text. Taking my phone out of my pocket, I checked the little screen first and was greeted with Carly's name. I flipped my phone open and accepted the text then sat down again.

"_So did u find her?_" I frowned for a moment thinking over the question. Seriously, when I just wake up my brains pretty much dead. It takes awhile for me to function.

"_**Find who?**_" I text back.

"_SAM!_" was her one worded response. Oh yeah, that's why I'm in a damn bus right now.

"_**Oh yeah, I found her.**_"

"_Ok... wen r u bringing her back?_"

"_**Prolly a couple days.**_"

"_Wat?! Y!?_"

"_**We're on our way to vegas rite now.**_"

"_Wat?! Y!?_" I chuckled to myself. I could just imagine her going all spazzy trying to understand what I'm saying.

"_**I ono... dat's where she bought her tix too. Don't trip. I'll have her back safe & sound.**_" I assured her.

"_But dere's skool tomorrow._"

"_**I know. Just think of this as an early spring break for me & sam xP**_"

"_Ok fine watever. Just be careful._"

"_**I will mama xP**_"

"_Don't sass me lil grl!_"

"_**dis 'lil girl' will sit on you and break you in half .**_"

"_she sure will._"

"_**MEANIE! I don't wanna talk to you anymore. Jerk. =(**_"

"_Ok fine! And u're the jerk!_"

"_**ur bf is dark! HAHA xP**_"

"_nvm, u're an asshole._"

"_**oh yea... I kno! Thanks =) BYE! I NEED TO PEE!**_" I flipped my phone close and proceeded to stand up and stretch again.

Shaking my head and yawning a little, I took my glasses off of my face and cleaned the lenses with my tank top, then made my way down the aisle as I slipped the black, plastic, rectangular frame back on my face. As I got to the front of the bus, I noticed that Sam was still asleep. She was clutching onto her backpack, and shivering slightly, so I took off my jacket and covered her with it. I stood there for a little while longer, just staring at her beautiful features, before my stomach started to protest. I had to pee and I was hungry.

As soon as I stepped off the bus the strong, and bitter, Pacific Northwestern winds slapped me. Oh my fucking god, I just had to wear a tank top didn't I?! I only wore tank tops around my house, away from the publics eye, but in my haste to leave my house I just threw on whatever my hands latched onto first. Shivering, I wrapped my arms around myself and ran into the gas station. The sudden temperature change was overwhelming. First I was shivering like crazy, then I was suffocating on warm air. So not good for my body.

I shook my head and looked around the store. There was a long line of women waiting for the girls restroom, so I decided to look around the shop for food and drinks. As I was making my way towards the refrigerator in the back of the store, my eyes caught onto some cottony looking items. I made a sharp right turn and walked into an aisle of clothes. SCORE! There were mainly shirts with the nearby schools emblem on them, long sleeved thermals, sweaters, hats, and beanies. I picked up a black shirt with my schools emblem on it, a black long sleeved thermal, a gray sweater, a white beanie and dressed myself in them. Shit, I didn't care if the person working the cash register had to dig around the many layers of clothes I had on to scan the price tags, I cared about keeping my body heat at a reasonable temperature as soon as I stepped foot outside again.

When I was done dressing up, I made my way to the fridge and pulled out two bottles of peppy-cola, and a bottle of Sobe Green Tea, best drink ever by the way. After that, I went to the snacking section and grabbed bags of beef jerky, handfuls of beef sticks, bags of flaming hot cheetos, lays, and funyons, those mini powdered donuts, cupcakes, brownies, and a whole grip of other shit. Healthiest selection of food. EVER. Then, I slowly made my way to the cash register and received looks of astonishment from people in the store and the cashier herself.

"Wow." was her flabbergasted response to the pile of junk food on the counter. I smiled at her and grabbed a few packs of the Tropical Twist flavored Trident gum, my favorite, and placed it on the pile of junk food too.

"Oh yeah...," I trailed off when she paused in her scanning of items to punch numbers into the keyboard, "you're gonna have to uhhh scan these items of clothes too." I informed her shyly, lifting my arms slightly to show her. She was cute! I'm glad it wasn't some old hairy guy working at the register today, if there was one, I would've freaked out on him.

"Alright." she smiled brightly at me and attempted to reach over the counter to scan the price tags. Yeah, it didn't work. I eventually had to walk behind the counter to make it easier for her, at least that's what she said. I didn't think that it was necessary though, she could have just walked to where the clothes were displayed and checked the prices that way. I really think she did that to feel on me though. I was just standing there looking anywhere but at her, and felt her hands actually slide up the _inside_ of my tank top. "My break is in five minutes," she whispered seductively in my ear as she reached behind me to pull out price tags, "why don't you meet me out back and I'll repay you for all these items you've bought." my eyes went wide and I jerked away from her. Man, this girl was cute and all, but she's coming on a little too strong... no pun intended. Plus, we're in the middle of I don't even know where, and who knows, the people around here could be psychos.

"Nahh, sorry. I've got someone on the bus already..." I rejected, "thanks for the uhhh... proposal though." I gave her a small smile and proceeded to walk back to the front of the desk.

"That'll be $92.80," she said, looking at me with hunger in her eyes. I just smirked at her and pulled out my wallet out of my back pocket. Yeah, I'm using a wallet now; I don't carry around a huge wad of cash with me no more. That's a big no no, especially after I got jumped when I gang banged on a couple of Longos from Southeast Seattle. I got jumped and stupid assholes took all of my money! Luckily I only had a couple hundred dollars that night though.

"Keep the change." I said with a small smile on my face, while gathering everything on the counter into my arms. I didn't need a bag, and plus, I really needed to pee. So I took everything and ran to the bus, crept slowly and quietly by Sam, and dropped everything on my seat. When I walked back into the store and waited in line for the girls restroom, I noticed that the cashier was eying me like a hawk. "Oh sorry." I apologized after an old lady behind me cleared her throat in annoyance. I looked ahead of me and realized that it was my turn.

I'm only in there for a minute when someone knocks on the door. I frowned and called out "just a minute" at the door. You can't rush the process of cleaning your bladder out damn it, and plus... I drank a little too much the night before. When I drink too much, I pee a whole river. Just as I was finishing up, the door to the restroom opened. "What the fuck!" I exclaimed, turning around abruptly so I could attempt to zip up the fly of my pants. A second later, I felt arms wrap around my waist from behind. I tensed up in the person's embrace, and felt myself go rigid when a pair of lips started kissing my along my neck.

Just as I was about to say something, the person turned me around and pushed me against the wall roughly, then smashed their lips against mine. Automatically, my hands flew up to the persons hair, and my pants fell to the floor around my ankles. I started kissing back until the person with the soft lips pushed her hand down the waistband of my boxers roughly. Snapping back to reality, I stopped our tongue wrestling and shoved her away. It was the damn girl from the cash register! "Don't act like you didn't like it baby." she said seductively, unbuttoning the top buttons of her red work shirt.

"You're fucking crazy cuh!" I cried out, and bent down to pick my pants up. "Stay the fuck away from me." I demanded before walking to the door, zipping up my pants. As I was walking out of the restroom, my foot got caught in one of those yellow "CAUTION: WET FLOOR" signs. I slipped and fell as I tried to regain my balance, and was met with a lemony smell from the floor. Shaking my head, I pushed myself up and brushed myself off, then went to finish up buttoning my pants. Right when I looked up, I saw a shocked Sam standing there with my jacket hanging loosely off of her petite frame. Her shocked eyes turned into one of anger, and it shifted just behind my shoulders. "Fuck!" I muttered under my breath, when I turned my attention behind me, just to be met with the cashier buttoning her shirt back up.

"The bus is gonna leave soon." Sam said through gritted teeth, before turning on her heel and stalking out of the store.

"NO! Sam! Let me explain!" I cried out hopelessly, trying to reach out to her pathetically. As I was about to take a step towards her, the cashier grabbed onto my arm and spun me around. On instinct, my right arm swung from her grip and I back handed her right on her cheek. "You fuckin' hoe! This is all your fuckin' fault!" I loomed over her and yelled, as she fell to the floor and looked up at me with hate in her eyes. "I told you I didn't want shit from you." I spat out venomously before running to the bus.

When I got to our level, it was empty. All of Sam's stuff was there, but she was missing. Confused, I walked to the back of the bus, and looked in between every seat just in case she was hiding from me. As I got to my seat, I grabbed the bottle of Sobe and drank half of its contents before my mouth didn't feel as dry. Just as I was about to take another sip, the bus lurched forward. I jerked to the side and spilled the liquid all over my new clothes. "What the fuck!?" I cried out, opening my arms and looking down at my clothes in dismay.

As the bus was pulling away from the gas station, I took one final look back and saw Sam standing there, staring at me. I titled my head to the side a little and squinted my eyes for a better look. Yea, it was Sam... Holy shit! It's Sam and the bus is leaving her there! I guess in my attempt to catch up to her, I didn't register the fact that she was just standing outside the store. I ran down the aisle, down the stairs, and stopped abruptly near the bus driver. "Stop the bus." I demanded. He just turned his head to look at me as if I had another head growing out of my shoulders. "Stop the fuckin' bus!" I yelled at him, causing him to step on the brakes hard, which made everyone lurch forward. I ran head first into the damn windshield. "Open the god damned door, and don't go anywhere." I said menacingly with a scowl on my face as I pushed myself away from the now smeared window.

Shaking my head, I took off my glasses and made my way off the bus. As I stepped on the ground, I paused to look through my lenses, holding it up against the now brightly shining sun. It was smeared with sweat and grease from my face. Squinting my eyes, I made my way towards Sam while cleaning my glasses with my shirt at the same time. I'm pretty much blind, with or without glasses, so I miscalculated how far she really was and bumped right into her. "OW!" she yelped, as my impact sent her back flying to the wall.

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry." I apologized, finally slipping my glasses back on the bridge of my nose. The lenses were still smeared! I hate that shit. I blinked a few times getting used to the bright sun, before my eyes met hers.

"You wear glasses?" she asked in a confused tone, furrowing her eyebrows and scrunching her nose just the slightest bit. She looked so adorable I just had to smile. So I did before I responded.

"Huh? Oh yeah." I started. "I've been actually... just I've been wearin' contacts since I moved here." I explained lifelessly, getting lost in her crystal blue eyes. "Fuck man... you have some really beautiful eyes." I said dreamily with a sigh. I pretty much sounded and looked like a school girl with a crush on the hottest person in school. It was pathetic.

"Uh.. thanks." she responded sheepishly, breaking eye contact with me. I shook my head and took in our position. Her hands were resting on my shoulders, mine were resting on her hips, and our thighs were pressed against each others center. I looked up again, and locked eyes with her. God how I loved her eyes. For some odd reason, we both leaned in at the same time. Just as our lips were mere centimeters apart, the bus driver took that moment to sound the horn, breaking us out of our trance. I jerked away from her, tripped over my own foot, and fell ass first onto the floor.

"Fuck man... I've been trippin' all over the place." I growled out, leaning my forearms on my knees. I shook my head and frowned. Sam was just laughing like crazy. "Gee, I'm fine Sam. Thanks for askin'." I said sarcastically.

As her laughing subsided, she tilted her head to the side and gave me a contemplative look. Then she gave me a small smile and offered me a hand, "C'mon, lets get on the bus before they leave us."

I took her offered hand in both of mine and planted my feet firmly on the ground as she pulled me up. "Thanks." I said while brushing myself off before we started walking towards the bus. She just directed a small smile my way. "Look Sam I-" was cut off by the bus driver as I stepped on the bus after Sam did.

"Took you two long enough." he grunted before pulling on a lever that closed the doors manually.

"Shut up and keep drivin' you ol' raggedy lookin' ass." I growled out with gritted teeth. It was true, he did look raggedy! He was fat and round, had unkempt hair, smelled strongly of B.O, and had a five o'clock shadow... no wonder everyone was sitting way in the back now. I'm starting to think he was picked up off of the street and given this job. Without warning, he stepped on the gas and and smashed out of the parking lot. I fell on the floor. Again. I had one of my cheeks on the floor. Again. I had to push myself off of the floor. Again. I'm beginning to hate buses and bus drivers now.

Sam just stood there staring at me, biting the inside of her cheeks to keep from laughing. I just knew it. Her face was pretty funny looking. "That wasn't very nice Amanda." she says sarcastically. I frown at her and brush myself off.

"Yeah well, he could've given me a damn warning." I reasoned. "Fuckin' jerkoff."

"Do you wanna get off this bus?" the bus driver asked heatedly. I just scoffed at him.

"Do you want me call your company and complain about what kind of dick you are? Cuz yanoe... the customers always right." I said with a smirk. Yeah bitch! Don't fuck with me. "If the company doesn't do anything, I sure will." I threatened.

"Whatever." he rolled his eyes and focused on the road ahead. HA! I win mother sucker.

--

So we've been on the bus for an hour or two already, but Sam and I haven't really spoken to one another. I want to talk to her, but all she's done so far is basically devour all the junk food that I bought. I actually had to _hide_ some stuff from her so she wouldn't eat it all. I mean, I don't care about the food, I could always buy more... but the bus driver doesn't really seem to like me, I wonder why. I'm scared he's going to take off and leave me in the middle of no where once I step off the bus. I mean, I know I shouldn't have said all those insulting things, but come on! He's an ass and you know it, but I'm probably a slightly bigger ass than him... oh who cares?!

"Look Sam..." I started, sneaking a peek at her through the corner of my eyes as she was biting on a piece of beef jerky rather viciously. "I'm sorry yanoe? For everything." I apologized, playing with the wrapper of my gum on my lap.

"No, not really. I don't know." she stated simply after biting a piece of the dried beef off. "Why don't you elaborate."

"I uhh.. I don't know." I paused to think of words to say. "I'm sorry for bein' an asshole and leadin' you on while I've been uhh... sleepin' around." I winced. "It wasn't fair to you at all. Especially with that one kid you were with a couple of weeks ago. I was just mad cuz I like you yanoe... I didn't want anyone else with you unless that person was me. Now that I think back, I really wasn't bein' fair with you. I led you on, fucked around, and got pissed off when I saw you all close with another person..." I still remember that day too. I was fucking pissed off.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_It was lunch time, and I was at the table eating my lunch. Everyone was there except for Sam. Jonah, Rodney, and Freddie, sitting on the other side of the table, were in a conversation about the newest PearPhones. Carly and Kevin, sitting to the right of me, were sneaking little glances at each other and blushing a whole lot. They... well Carly, wasn't really one for public display of affection and Kevin respected her wishes. The furthest they got in public were holding hands and kisses on the cheek, and I really think they haven't gone very far from the publics eye either. Anyway, as usual, Tasha was all over me trying to get my attention, which was focused on the over greased pepperoni pizza on my plate._

"_Fuck Tasha, can you get off my nuts for just one minute?!" I exploded, "I'm tryna eat and you're kinda makin' it hard for me." Everyone at the table stopped what they were doing and stared wide eyed at the two of us. Tasha scowled, took her hands off of me, sat up, and crossed her arms around her chest defiantly. "Thank you." I looked around the table and eyed each one of them sitting there. "Why don't ya take a picture of my cute ass? It'll last longer." I said with a roll of my eyes and bit into my pizza. Everyone just shook their head in amusement and continued what they were doing._

"_Hey guys!" A voice from behind me said. I instantly perked up and felt a smile tug on my lips. Ahh, it felt great to hear the sound of her voice upon my ears. As everyone greeted her, I made sure I wiped off every bit of sauce and grease on my face before I turned around to greet her._

"_'Sup Sam...," I trailed off as my eyelids narrowed into mere slits. Yeah, Sam was behind me, but she wasn't alone. She was hand in hand with a rather skinny looking kid. 5'6, blond buzz cut hair, brown eyes, baggy white shirt that passed way below his knees, and baggy black jeans that hung off his ass. "Who're you?" I asked through gritted teeth, staring daggers at the kid. He seemed to shrink back a little and I smirked to myself._

_Before he could answer Sam cut him off, "This is Seddie." she introduced him to everyone first, and kept me last. "Amanda this is Seddie... my boyfriend." she said, looking me straight in the eyes with this look. Like she was trying to be happy, but she wasn't. I could tell. But at that time I was too shocked to think it through._

"_Your BOYFRIEND?!" I dropped my napkin onto my tray and stood up abruptly. All the guys at the table, except Freddie, stood up after I did. They all knew how I felt about Sam, and they've all tried to stop me from sleeping around, but I never listened to them. They knew how I felt about Sam, and they all knew what I was capable of doing if they didn't try to stop me._

"_Yeah." they both answered simultaneously. That hit me right in the heart. I was hurt. I thought she liked me, so why was she going out with this fake ass wanna be Eminem looking ass?! I was hurt but didn't want to show it, so I used what I always used when I didn't want to show an emotion. Sarcasm. My defense mechanism._

"_Aww, look at that guys." I smirked, even though it was killing me to see her holding hands with someone else, "They're already answering questions together, isn't that the sweetest?" I asked through gritted teeth balling my hands into fist._

"_What? You jealous?" It wasn't Sam who asked this smart ass question, it was Seddie. HA! How dare he try to rub this shit in my face. If I wanted, I could've had Sam right then and there._

"_Oh mah gawd." I looked up to the ceiling with wide eyes dramatically. "You know me soo well cuhz. Don't he just know me sooo fuckin' well, guys?" I asked looking at everyone at the table. No one made a move or said anything. "See they're sooo shocked that you know me soooo well too nigga."_

"_Calm down Shorty." I heard Rodney warn in a stern voice._

"_What the fuck, cuhz. Who the fuck this nigga think he is? Rubbin' shit in my face." I directed towards the occupants of the table. "I'll fuckin' rub your face on the floor, cuhz." I said staring Seddie directly in the eye._

"_Whatever." Seddie smirked. "You're just jealous cuz I get to do this and you don't." he pulled Sam towards him with their laced hands, and held her tightly against him with his free hand on her waist. Then he smashed his lips against Sam's roughly. If I wasn't seeing red, I would've seen the disgusted look on Sam's face and her free hand trying to shove him away._

_Within the blink of an eye, Seddie was on the floor and I was on top of him, smashing his face in. A second later, I was being pulled away by Jonah, Rodney, and Kevin. Yeah, seriously. All three of them had to pull me off the fuck face. When I was standing upright, and restrained by all three of the guys securely, I felt my head snap to the side. The sound of smacked flesh against flesh was heard throughout the whole cafeteria. "OOOOH!" was what everyone was saying. Even Jonah, Rodney, and Kevin let go of me to join in with the taunt._

_With clenched jaws, I turned my head back to Sam and looked into Sam's angry blue eyes. "You had no right to hit my boyfriend Shorty!" she yelled, clenching her fists to her sides. Oh shit, she actually used my nickname. She's really pissed off. She only uses my nickname when she's really angry at me. Kind of weird right? Others would use my real name when they're angry at me._

"_I don't give a fuck. I'll lay any nigga's ass out if they touch you in front of me like that again!" I yelled._

"_Stop acting like a jealous girlfriend, which you're not, by the way," she informed. "I'm not your property and I could have anyone touching me whenever I want!" she seethed._

"_Oh yeah?! You let him fuck you already too?!" Fuck, I shouldn't have said that. The hurt and rage in her eyes will forever be implanted into my brain. My head snapped to the other side when she slapped me again, then she took a step closer to me, until she was right in my face and clenched her jaw._

"_Fuck you, Shorty. Fuck you." then she turned and walked out of the cafeteria, leaving her distraught boyfriend laying on the floor clutching on his bloody nose. I looked down at Seddie on the floor, and realized that he had a smug smile on his face._

"_The fuck you smilin' at?" I asked pissed off. When he didn't answer but stayed on the floor with that same look on his face, I snapped. I jumped on him again and swung my fists at his face. It took all the guys, including Freddie this time, to get me off of him. "Imma fuckin' kill you nigga! Watch your fuckin' back!" I yelled after his retreating form when he scurried out of the cafeteria. After they were sure Seddie wasn't coming back, and I was calm, they all released me but stayed by my side, just in case I wanted to run off and actually kill the guy._

_I closed my eyes tightly and inhaled/exhaled deep breaths of air. When I felt my muscles relax I slowly turned around and was met with a horrified expression from Carly. It was the first time she'd actually seen me fight, and it obviously scared her. Tasha wore a look similar to Carly's even though she's seen what I've done before. As the shock wore off, I saw a familiar look flash in Tasha's eyes. The same look she had in her eyes the day I fucked Jake up. She was turned on._

_I grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the cafeteria, while everyone stared on in amazement, horror, and shock. As we were about to exit the school building I heard a deep voice call me from behind. I turned to look, and it was the principal._

"_Miss. Khem where do you and Miss. Jones think you're going?" he called out to us as I continued to drag her along with me._

"_I'm suspended, I know. I'll be back next week." I threw over my shoulder without stopping, "and Tasha's not feeling well. I'm takin' her home." I lied. I was planning on taking out all of my aggression on her._

"_One more fight and you're done for good!" he yelled from the doorway of the school building, which was useless since I was in my car already._

_The rest of the day/night was spent with Tasha in my bedroom crying out in pain and pleasure. I was angry and she knew it. I fell asleep spent and tired while Tasha had to recover by herself._

_**END OF FLASHBACK**_

She was about to say something before I continued. "I've been a complete and total jackass the past couple of months and I'm really sorry for hurtin' you. I hope you'll forgive me for bein' a dumbass." I said in a small voice.

After my little apology, which I know will never be enough, silence hung over us. I grabbed a licorice (I guess I bought a pack of that too), and bit the ends off of it first; I liked blowing air in and out of it. I was scared of what her actions would be, if she'd accept my lame excuse of an apology or not. After what seemed like hours, she finally spoke.

"Well..." she started off, "I don't know. You really did hurt me, and you really were being a total dick. I'll need some time to think about this..." she trailed off, looking me in the eyes. A sad look formed on my face, and I nodded my head. I turned my gaze from hers and started reading the things listed on the nutrition facts label of the Red Vine package. Why did I even think that she'd forgive me that easily? Why was I such a dumbass in the first place? I could've had a great thing going on with Sam, but instead I chose to mess around. I'm such a fucking dumbass. "Okay, I've thought about it." I hate myself. I'm even worse than Jonah! At least he didn't fuck around with other girls, even though he thought about it, but then again he wouldn't have been able to anyways. He's a total dork when it comes to girls. "I forgive you." Man, what the hell. I'm so out of it, I'm imagining her saying she forgives me. She'd never forgive me. Stupid brain. "I said I forgive you!" I was snapped out of my thoughts when she yanked the licorice out of my mouth and slapped me on the cheek with it.

"It's okay.. I under- wait.. WHAT?!" I ask shocked. I must be dreaming, cuz there's no way in hell she'd forgive me that easily.

"Yeah, you heard me. I thought it over and I forgive you." She stuck the licorice in her mouth and blew air at me. Thought it over?! It was quiet for barely five minutes! She must be planning some kind of revenge on me. Step one: make me believe she's forgiven me. Step two: crush my heart when I start believing her. Step three: tie me up to a chair and make out with Seddie right in front of me. Daaamn, I have a messed up mind.

"That fast?!" I asked incredulously.

"Well... if you knew me, then you'd know I don't think anything over. I'm more of a take action _then_ think type of person." she explained. "So any little thinking that I do must mean something..." she trailed off. Aww, I mean something to her. Insert smiley face here. "I'm still angry at you though. It's gonna take awhile for me to trust you fully." She bit onto the licorice and chewed slowly, a far off in space look on her face.

"No, it's okay. I understand." I nodded my head, pulling another licorice out for myself, "We'll take things slow." I gave her a smile then bit the ends off of the licorice, and sighed into the holes with a look of puppy love in my face. "I'm so glad I get to call you my girlfriend."

"Wait..." the hand holding her licorice stopped mid-air on its way to her mouth, and she gave me a confused look. "Who said anything about being your girlfriend?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

My eyes went wide in shock, and my mouth was opening and closing constantly trying to think of something to say. "Well I-I just th-thought-," she cut me off when she started laughing. I felt like a dumbass right at that moment. Of course she wouldn't want to be my girlfriend!

"Okay, one," she held out one finger on her left hand as her laughing stopped and she had an amused look on her face, "neither of us has asked the other out, yet. Don't even think of asking now either." A second finger added to the first, "Two, we're supposed to be taking things slow, so jumping into a relationship right now would be contradictory." A third finger added to the first two, "and three, I'd really like to get to know more about you first before we start anything romantic..." she said sheepishly.

"Okay. Okay. I'm sorry for jumpin' to conclusions." I apologized, "we'll take things as slow as you'd like, and I'll answer any questions you want answered truthfully."

"Alright...," she dragged on, "I have a question right now."

"Shoot."

"What's that thing on your neck?" she asked calmly, pointing at my neck. My hand automatically flew to where she was pointing and fingered the scar there. Fuck, how am I going to get out of this one?

**A/N: Will Shorty's past finally bite her in the ass? Will Sam finally know the truth about who she really is? Stay tuned to find out! I wanted to get this chapter out today since I'll be in Long Beach all weekend. That means I'll be away from FF =(. Anyway, have a great weekend everyone!**

**A/N: Yo Tony, you'll be in the next chapter or two, so keep your eyes open =)  
**


	16. Chapter 16

**DISCLAIMER: I own nada except the idear, Shorty/Amanda, and the other many OC that you don't know. =)**

**A/N: it's been awhile my loves. I am sorry. i have TWO finals(wish me luck) and then school is finally over later on TODAY(june 4)! So _hopefully_ I'll update more frequently this summer. If I don't, send me a PM and yell at me. I just wanted to get this out as a sense of... accomplishment? i survived my first year as a college student, so i'm sharing my joy by posting this chapter up =). HAPPY READING.  
**

**CHAPTER 16**

"I got cut." I simply answered with the shrug of my shoulders. I know I said that I'd answer truthfully, but it's not like I was lying. I really did get cut, from the bottom of my right ear down to my collarbone.

"Cut, huh?" she asked with a frown, "must have been a pretty deep cut then."

"Yeah...," I chuckled uneasily, looking at everything on the bus except Sam. Once my eyes did lock onto hers though, I knew I had to give her a better explanation. I dramatically cleared my throat and continued. "I got into it with a stupid ass nigga who tried to hit on my girlfriend at the time. It started a riot that ended with me almost bleeding to death." I explained, eyes downcast. My whole body jerked to attention when I felt a pair of soft fingertips run down the length of my scar. I know she felt my body jerk, but she kept her fingers on my hot skin.

"Looked like it hurt." she said quietly, running her fingers over the bump.

"It did...," I shuddered, "like a bitch." I inhaled a deep breath when her fingers slipped inside the collar of my shirt and ran across my collarbone. "So uhhh..." I trailed off, getting a little too happy. I grabbed her wrist with my right hand and pulled her fingers out of my shirt. "Why Vegas?" I asked, lacing our fingers together and placing it on my lap.

Her eyes lingered on our intertwined hands before looking back at me, eye to eye. "It's not Seattle," she answered as if that explained everything. She dropped her gaze back to my lap, straightened out my fingers against hers, and started examining my hand. "You have sausage fingers." she giggled, comparing my meaty fingers to her skinny ones.

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes, "they're still longer than your french fry lookin' ones." I laughed.

"I'm hungry for sausages and french fries now." she blurted out.

"I know, right?!" I agreed with a laugh. "How 'bout we have some breakfast for dinner next time we stop? My treat." I offered with a cheesy smile as I laced our fingers together again. I watched and reveled in the feel of her soft fingers from her other hand as it started tracing the outline of our fingers.

"Heck yeah! I'm down." she agreed with a smile matching mine, "but we'll have to be quick! I think the driver is out to get you." I laughed loudly at the look on her face. Her eyebrows were furrowed, wrinkles were forming on her forehead, and she was chewing on her bottom lip. God, she's so beautiful.

"Sheesh, you're so cute you know that?" I asked with a small smile, "and plus, if he does leave us then we could just fly out to Vegas. If you really wanna go that is, I'll be happy to buy tickets for the both of us."

She gave me a one sided smirk, tilted her chin up a little, and confidently responded with a, "yeah, I know. Thanks." I smiled with every feature on my face – eyes, cheeks, eyebrows, and lips – and just took in the certain glow that surrounded her. Then when her face relaxed into a neutral one, mine did too... probably with a little hint of anxiety. I know right, for someone who's usually all high and mighty, I could really be an insecure dork. "How are you so well off?" she asked slowly, "Financially, I mean." she immediately added afterwards.

"Well, I do work." I answered with the shrug of my shoulders. "And my aunt does help me out when I need it."

"No...," she trailed off, looking me dead in the eyes. "you use to work." she answered confidently. I gave her a confused look but on the inside I was having a panic attack. "Your aunt found a new baker, and you were fired from Foot Locker." My eyes went wide when I realized she already knew. How the hell did she know?! I don't remember telling her. The only person I told was Kevin. Fucking Kevin! I'm going to kill him next time I see him.

"Pssh! Ha! What?" I huffed, "What are you talkin' about?" I asked, playing dumb. I was looking everywhere but at her. I constantly lie, like a lot, but when it comes to her it's hard to do. I get all sweaty, my throat closes up, it's hard for me to speak, and my eyes start welling up; it's pathetic.

"Oh don't play dumb, Shorty." she said demandingly. Damn, she's using the nickname card on me! "Me and Carly went to visit you a couple weeks ago after a party, the one you and Kevin missed, but you weren't even there! It was some old man working and he told us that he was your aunt's permanent baker now." she explained. Crap she got me there. "and, I went to Foot Locker the following Monday, cuz you didn't show up at school, and the person behind the register said you got fired because you kept on calling in sick, or didn't show up at all." Double crap! What the hell. Okay, so it wasn't Kevin that told her, so I won't kill him. I am so going to kill that baker and person that told her now.

The only reason I kept on calling in sick was because I always found myself too beat up to get up in the mornings or too tired from staying out dealing all night. I'm sorry I didn't want to scare customers away with a bruised up face. I like to think of it as helping them out, but I guess my helpfulness wasn't taken graciously. Jerks.

"Okay! So maybe I did get replaced and fired, that doesn't mean I don't have another job." I defended myself; lamely, might I add.

"Oh yeah?" she gave me a pointed look, "like what?"

"Like sellin' stuff... and stuff." I answered with and even lamer answer. I wasn't looking at her, but I knew she had an annoyed look on her face.

"Oh my god, come off it already!" she semi-yelled, getting irritated. "No, you know what... if you don't wanna tell me, then don't." she huffed, then proceeded to cross her arms over her chest. "So much for answering questions honestly." Fuck, now I feel like an asshole. A guilty asshole. How is she capable of making me feel like this when we don't even go out?!

"Do you really wanna know?" I asked seriously, "I don't wanna drag you into this shit if I get caught up with it." I explained when she gave an exasperated sigh.

"Well, I kinda will be in it no matter what." she rolled her eyes and I gave her a 'what are you talking about' look. "If we're gonna be in a relationship I'm gonna be there for you. Duh." I sat back in my seat with and 'oh' shaped mouth. Wow, ride or die chick. I'm seriously not going to let her go.

"Aight fine...," I gave in reluctantly. I leaned back in the seat, planted my feet on the ground, and lifted my ass up then dug a hand into my front left pocket. I grasped onto a sack of weed and slowly pulled it out. I guess in my haste to get out of the house, I pulled on the pair of jeans that I wore the night before when I was out dealing.

"Okay... what is it?" she asked impatiently. I got out a heavy sigh before I uncurled my fist face up. "Is that...?" she trailed off questioningly. I bit on my bottom lip, frowned nervously, and nodded my head when she looked up at my face. "Is that the _only_ thing you're selling?" she asked with concern. I stayed quiet. "There's more?!" she asked incredulously, "what?" I proceeded with the lifting of my ass again and dug into my front right pocket, pulling out stacks of Ecstasy. "You have got to be kidding me!" she paused to look at the drugs I was holding in my hands, "are you stupid?! You could go to jail for these things!" she yelled angrily.

"I-I," I stuttered retardedly, "it's not like I use them." I got out quietly. She turned to look at me with mixed emotions swirling in her eyes. Fuck, I hope I didn't ruin things already!

"It doesn't matter if you use them or not, Shorty!" she said sternly, there she goes again using my nickname (I miss her calling me Amanda), "you can get locked up for possession! I should know; my cousin's and uncle's are locked up because of these stupid things! It ruins peoples' lives!" her voice cracked. I was looking down at the space between the seat in front of us and our legs, but when I heard her voice crack my attention snapped to her immediately.

"Sam... I-," I tried to comfort her, but failed miserably.

"No, Amanda. You listen," she cut me off, "m-my mom...," a pause to sniffle, "sh-she's a..." she shook her head, like she was shaking off any negative thoughts, and bent forward, cupping her face in her hands.

I didn't know if I should bring up the fact that I knew about her mom or not, but seeing her like this... I just had too. "I know about your mom, Sam." I said quietly. She shot up immediately and looked at me with wide, teary eyes. She looked like she was about to say something, but I beat her to it. "I went to your house after Carly called, and saw her about to snort some...," I explained.

Sam shook her head some more, licked her lips, and sat back in the seat. She had a far off expression on her face before talking, "She wasn't always like that, my mom, she used to be carefree and loving; I don't know what happened though." she said, looking straight ahead. "She started changing though, when she got a new boyfriend. I knew he was bad news right when I met him, but my mom was so happy, and if she was happy then I was too, so I kept to myself. Then, a month or two later, I would come home and she'd have this far off look in her eyes, her movements were sluggish, and sometimes she'd laugh for no reason. I was suspicious at first, but brushed it off. Then, as more months passed by, I would come home and she'd be all touchy feely, more affectionate." she broke down here, and I slipped my arms behind her back, hugging her close to me. "It wasn't enough for her, she needed more. Something more stronger, something that hit harder. Things just escalated from there. She would hide it from me, in the beginning, but after a while she just stopped caring and actually lined some up right in front of me."

"Fuck... Sam...," I was at a lost of words; I didn't know what to say or do, I just wished I knew what to do to take all her pain away. For now, I just settled for pulling her onto my lap and wrapping my arms around her tightly.

"You think that's sad... you haven't heard the fucked up part yet," she scoffed into the crook of my neck.

"Wha..?" I asked dumbfounded. Seriously, what's more fucked up than this? I feel her upper body expand against the grip of my arms, and then I shiver when she slowly lets out the breath of air against the underside of my jaw. '_What the fuck, Shorty?! Stop thinkin' those thoughts... ya nasty.'_ I thought to myself.

"She stayed out of my life, unless she needed some cash, and I stayed out of hers. It was a great arrangement, until about a year ago... when she caught me making out in bed with my girlfriend." she tilted her head back a little until our eyes connected and looked at me innocently, wondering what my reaction was going to be. I just raised both of my eyebrows and looked at her surprised, but stayed quiet. "After that day, whenever I would be at home, she'd give me all kinds of shit. Name calling, telling me I'm going to hell, and all this other shit." her eyes watered over again, and I felt this strong hatred for her mother.

_'I shoulda killed her when I had the chance,'_ I snapped at myself.

"Up until a couple months ago she came up with her version of a 'win-win situation'." I looked at her confused. "This situation would get her a limited supply of coke, and I would be 'normal' again." she paused to wipe away snot running out of her nose with the sleeve of my jacket. "Her drug dealer is Seddie's dad." she said slowly. I furrowed my eyebrows and tried to figure out where I heard that name before. "That guy that you beat up and I slapped you for it...," she informed, trying to help jog my memory. The image of that day came rushing into my head and a flash of recognition was seen through my eyes. My eyes glazed over, and my jaw went rigid. "She didn't have enough money... and sh-she fucking whored me Amanda!" she busted out in tears again. "I- she... I used to be the most important thing in her life, then drugs became her number one priority. Every time I went out with him, she'd be rewarded with some drugs. It was decent at first, the dates, then every other time we went out he got more aggressive. Last night he went too far, he had me pinned down and everything, but I kneed him in the balls and got away as fast as I could."

'_I'm gonna kill that mother fucker… I swear I will._' I promised myself.

"When I got home, my mom was so fucked up, and I just blew up right then and there. Next thing I knew, things were being thrown, glasses were being broken, and harsh words were exchanged. I packed as much stuff as I could and left. I won't.. I can't go back there. She's my mother, but I've done all that I could for her, I'm not gonna be her little insurance policy anymore." she sobbed, shaking her head slowly.

I shook my head in disgust, not at Sam.. never at Sam, but at that sorry excuse for a human being. I pulled her closer to me, hugged her tightly, and gently rocked her frail body back and forth. "Shhh, it's okay... every thing's gonna be okay... I got you... don't worry... shhhh," I gently whispered into her ear. After about ten minutes of her crying, I gently hummed into her ear. At first, they were random tunes then it turned into "You'll be in my Heart" by Usher. Towards the middle of the song, Sam's sob turned into gentle cries, then none at all. By the time I finished she was fast asleep curled on my body.

–

The rest of the bus ride, after she woke up, was spent playing '21 questions' with about a million questions added afterward. Some questions went along the lines of:

Question: "If you were an instrument, which would you be?"

The answer: "A saxophone."

When asked why: "So you can blow me."

Which earned a smack upside the head. If you couldn't guess Sam was the one who asked the question, and I was the one who answered.

When the bus stopped every few hours or so, we would each take turns to stand outside the gas station to watch the bus, just in case. I tried apologizing to the bus driver, but he shrugged me off, so now we're taking extra precautionary steps around him. He almost did leave us one time, when we both went into the restroom at the same time... not like that! She had to pee and I wanted to wash my face. Sheesh. When we exited the restroom together, customers were looking at us weird. I swear, people have some nasty minds.

When we finally did get to Vegas, well around Vegas, I mentioned having a cousin who lived on the outskirts of the city, but if she was going to feel uncomfortable then I could've had him call a hotel and get a room for us. She said she didn't want me to spend any money, so I called my big cousin up and asked if I, and a friend, could stay with him for a couple of days. Of course he said yeah, asked for the address where we were, and picked us up about thirty minutes later.

We spent the first day chilling at his house getting comfortable. I also took that time to catch up with him while Sam took a long nap in the guest room. Turns out he was engaged with his girlfriend of three years before he caught her in bed with his best friend. Wow, what a cowinkidink. No? After hearing this, I proceeded to tell him my own little happenings of the same event.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_I drove down to Long Beach after school let out for winter break so we could make up before the holidays came. Her roommate Jenny, who usually opened the door and left it open for me to walk in myself, was hesitant and nervous when she saw that it was me at the door. She tried to convince me to stay put and she'd get Jerika herself, but I was persistent and managed to slip into the house while she was rambling on about her finals; as if I gave a rats ass about her._

_As I was walking towards the door, a bad vibe was felt throughout my whole body. The sound of her bed squeaking was heard consistently, not like someone trying to get into a more comfortable position, but as if someone was jumping up and down constantly. When I stopped right in front of her door, inaudible moans and groans were heard. I frowned as I grasped onto the door knob. I didn't know what to expect, but I was hoping it wouldn't be what I thought it was. My hopes were diminished when the door swung open and I saw my girlfriend on her back with my best friend, nigga, brother, cousin kneeling in between her open legs. She was naked and he still had his boxers, something I was thankful for when I was beating the shit out of him, but the image of them in other compromising positions flashed through my mind._

_Without really thinking about it, I cleared my throat which got their attention immediately. They both pulled away from each other, as if touching one another burned their skin, and stared at me wide eyed while their faces visibly lost its color; Jerika's more than David's. I squinted my eyes, tilted my head to the right slightly, pursed my lips together, and cupped my mouth with my right hand. Then without a word, I stepped back into the hallway closing the door as I did so. Did I really see what I saw or was my mind messing with me? I paced outside the door for a few seconds before pushing the door open again. They were both standing now, Jerika in panties and a white tee-shirt that was most likely mine while David was frantically looking around for his clothes. They both stopped when the door opened, and looked at me expectantly._

_Everything after that was fuzzy. I remember launching myself at David and tackling him onto the floor, but everything after that was quick and impulsive mixed with anger. When I was done with him his face was bloody and the beginnings of bruises were slowly forming all over his body and face. I didn't even realize I picked up one of my old skateboards either, but when my body relaxed and lost it's tension, the skateboard fell out of my hands and made me jump a little when it crashed onto the floor. The wheels and trunks of one end of the board had little drops of blood on it._

_I stood there and took in the disheveled look of the room. Things were scattered all over the floor, mirrors and lamps were broken, and the mattress was stripped of all the sheets. It looked as though a hurricane came through, tossed things around, and just up and left. Then my attention turned to the furtherest corner of the room where Jerika was curled up in a ball, sobbing her eyes out. She seemed to curl up even more when my eyes landed on her and stared at me with scared eyes. I shook my head in disgust at her and turned around to limp out of the door._

_When I got to the living room, Jenny was sitting on the edge of the sofa also staring at me with wide and scared eyes. She was staring intently at my face, somewhere near my right eye. When I reached a hand to feel around, there was a deep gash and blood was oozing out; I probably got that when he banged my head against the edge of her dresser. She seemed to cower into the cushions of the sofa as I limped by her towards the door. She always knew I was a dangerous person, someone to not fuck with, but never saw me in action. I'm guessing she really understands now._

_Every part of my body was aching and sore. It hurt like a bitch when I slowly lowered myself into the drivers seat of my car. I drove back home that night, only stopping when it was necessary, and got weird looks from people when I did. I just ignored the looks and did what I stopped to do, using the restrooms and avoiding any mirrors while I washed my hands._

_When I got home, I immediately went into my room and picked up the picture that was framed and placed on my nightstand. I felt my heart break even more when I realized everything we ever shared was bullshit. Getting angry over that realization, I threw the picture frame at the wall and watched in satisfaction as it broke apart and glass shattered everywhere. Then I went into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniel's from the fridge, and sat in the tub while ice cold water pounded on my fully clothed body._

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"Damn, that's so fucked up." he finally said after I finished retelling the events that day. "I thought she was good for you." he admitted. "How'd you cope?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, I know... me too." I said slowly nodding my head. I licked my lips and sat back against the sofa, extending my legs out in front of me fully. "This," I lifted the hand that was holding a bottle of Heineken, "and I was depressed for like a week? Two weeks? Was just drinkin' away the hurt while my wounds healed. I didn't even do anythin' on Christmas, I was too fucked up to even realize what day it was." I informed.

"What brought you outta your depression?" he asked curiously.

I smiled widely before answering, "Girls. Partyin'. Fuckin'. All of the above. Goin' to parties, gettin' smashed, smashin' girls. There was like a new girl every other weekend while I was with the captain of the advanced dance team and co-captain of the varsity cheer squad." I paused to chuckle as my cousin held out a fist for me to pound. "I threw my whole bein' into the game, cuh." I said with the shake of my head. I took a sip of beer and thought I heard a door open and close, I just shook that thought away as sound effects from the TV.

"My cousin, the playa... who woulda thought?" he asked with a proud smile, patting me on my back.

"Nahhh man... it's not somethin' I'm proud of, really." I admitted with a sad smile. "I mean, I built a reputation at school and every girl wanted to know what was so great 'bout me, so I could basically have any girl I want, but I don't want that shit you know?" I asked, he nodded his head. "I want somethin' real... someone real. I could have a new girl everyday, but what good is that for me in the future?" I shook the thoughts out of my head and downed the rest of the alcohol.

"Well damn, would you look at that... my little gang banger of a cousin actually has a heart!" he barked, opening another bottle of beer for me. I just rolled my eyes and took the bottle he had in his hand. "Naw! I'm just kidding cousin. Seriously though, you've been somewhat single for what, three months? Four?" I just shrugged my shoulders. "Have you met someone real, yet?" he asked, chugging his own bottle of beer of its contents.

I looked towards the bedroom Sam was currently occupying, took a swig of my beer, and turned my attention back to my cousin who was staring at me expectantly with droopy light brown eyes. Then I turned my gaze onto the coffee table in front of us and saw about ten empty Heineken bottles, four on his side and six on mine, "Dude, I'm so buzzed..." I chuckled, when it was quiet I turned to my cousin and he was still staring at me expectantly. "Okay fine... yeah I have." I finally admitted with the shrug of my shoulders then looked back at her bedroom door.

"Foreal, her?" he asked surprised, his droppy eyes lifting a little. I turned to him with a frown on my face. "Nah cuh! Don't even look at me like that. There's nothing wrong with it, I'm just surprised my assumptions were correct. Cuz you know I always jump to conclusions and get shit all wrong." At his explanation my forehead muscles relaxed and I took another sip of my beer. "So wassup, is she your girlfriend or what?" he asked seriously.

I shook my head with a far away look in my eyes, "Naw, not yet at least. We're just takin' things slow and getting to know each other."

"No way?!" he asked hysterically, sitting up straight on the edge of the sofa.

I laughed, "Way."

"Pshhh, since when did you ever take things slow?!" he asked incredulously, eyes wide open now. "Didn't you and Jerika like... I don't know... fuck the first time you guys met?!"

"Damn, can you be any louder?!" I asked harshly, trying to keep my voice at a reasonable level. "Obviously that was a mistake," I said in my normal voice, getting situated on my sofa again, "that's why I'm taking things slow with Sam... I really like her." I stated, smiling a little. "She's not like any other girl I've met before." My cousin scoffed. "Shut up nigga! I know I said that with Jerika, but I was like what 14? 15? I'm more grown," I paused when he scoffed again, "no, not taller! Shit, why are you such an ass? Anyway, like I said I've matured some. Something about her is just so lovable and makes me want to protect her and get to know her inside and out."

"Aww!" he reached over to ruffle my hair, "sounds like puppy love to me!" I swatted his hand away and giggled when he cradled it against his chest with a pout on his face.

"I don't know what it is, but I like it." I let out a huge sigh, "It kinda scares me too, though..." I trailed off. He gave me a concerned look. I'm usually not scared of anything, sometimes. "I feel like I'm fallin' too hard too fast, and we're not even together yet. It's so mind blowin' cuz it took me almost a year to love Jerika, but with Sam it's so easy."

"Damn cousin...," he trailed off slowly, making me look at him, "sounds like you got it bad."

"I think I do," I agreed with a small smile, "I can really see myself with her for a loooooooooong time." I dragged out, "I'd give up everything for her man, even my own life." I admitted seriously, which caused my cousin to look at me wide eyed, "no lie... I found some shit out before I got here, and if something like that happens to her again... imma do something. Don't be surprised if you get a collect call from some prison sometime in the future." I playfully warned him. He just squinted his eyes and stared at me for a few moments, trying to figure out if I was being serious or not. I squinted back at him with one eye as I guzzled the rest of my beer, and accidentally knocked the other empty bottles over when I slammed it on the coffee table. "Oops." I just sat there and stared as the bottles rolled around and off of the table one by one. When it finally registered in my head that the bottles were falling, it was already too late; all the bottles were rolling away on the carpeted floor.

"Sheesh, you drunk ass. Go to sleep." my cousin playfully scolded. I looked up at him through half closed eyes and tried to muster up the most apologetic look I could. It only made him laugh at me. "It's all good! Just go to bed." I nodded my head and stood up on shaky legs. As I was about to walk away towards the bedroom he spoke again, "I might not be here when you wake up, I gotta to to work later. Graveyard. Just make yourself at home though. Oh, and if you need clothes just go into my room and wear whatever you'd like." I just nodded my head in acknowledgement and continued to talk on wobbly legs.

When I got into the room, Sam was sprawled out all over the full sized bed, breathing rather quickly. I thought when people were fast asleep, their breathing was deep and even? I shook that thought away and stripped down to my boxers and tank top. I had one side of the comforter pulled up and was about to slide in when I realized I was about to sleep in the same bed with Sam when we were supposed to take things slow. Shaking my head, I dropped the comforter and walked into the closet. I pulled out extra blankets and pillows then made myself a makeshift bed on the floor between the wall and bed.

As soon as I laid my head on the pillow, I felt myself lose consciousness and fell into a light slumber. About ten minutes later, I felt another persons warm body press up against mine. I blinked my eyes a few time as Sam laid her head on my shoulder and wrapped an arm around my stomach. "Sam?" I asked confused.

"Shh, just go to sleep." she said in a soothing voice. I nodded my head slightly and pulled her closer with the arm under her. As I was about to fall asleep again, I felt her lift her head up and gently kissed me on the side of my head. "I've got it bad too...," I heard her say almost inaudibly against my throat. I smiled goofily and finally gave myself up to sleep.

**A/N: Whoot! We finally got Sam's story, hopefully you understand why she was ever with that Seddie(gag) character and why she was all sad that time during lunch a few chapters back. OH! And I finally revealed how Shorty caught Jerika cheating on her, did you like it?! I honestly had trouble with this chapter, but I am kinda, somewhat, rather happy with the way it turned out. Keep in mind that Sam knows Shorty sells drugs, but she doesn't know that she's a gang member just yet. What else, oh yea. I kinda foreshadowed something in this chapter, lets see if you can figure it out =D .. please review!**

**P.S. If you didn't know, I have a twitter. Follow me if you'd like. I mostly rant on and on about the Lakers, but I'm gonna start using it to update you all on where I'm at with a story. Twitter .com/oohweeshawdee**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I own nothing/no one you recognize.**

**A/N: Damn this is long. I haven't slept yet, and my bed time was at like 8am.. it's 12pm right now. Lol =D I love summer! Anyway, read on. Happy Reading.**

**CHAPTER 17**

"Tell me why I'm doing this again?" a flustered Sam asked sitting to the left of me at the window.

I smiled at her and tucked a lock of blond hair that were in her eyes behind her ear. "Cuz it's spring break and there's nothin' for you to do back in Seattle." I simply answered, caressing her cheeks that were slightly pink. "And plus, we're not gonna be alone. Kevin, Carly, and Freddie are gonna be there, too."

She leaned into my touch slightly and sighed heavily. "What if no one likes me?" she asked uncertain, turning her face away just the slightest bit.

"Are you kiddin' me?" I asked with raised eyebrows, "What's not to like?!" I asked seriously, turning her face to look in her eyes. "Plus, they'll love you. I just know it." I assured her confidently.

"What makes you so sure?" she asked curiously.

I shrugged my shoulders before answering, "Cuz you're white." I replied with a smirk on my face. "No offense!" I added after she shot me an offended look.

"What?"

"Asian parents just _love_ white people." I explained, "I don't know why, but they _always_ approve of us getting into interracial relationships with white people. They approve that more that our own kind."

"Why?!"

I shrugged my shoulders again and stifled a laugh at the outraged look on her face. "I don't know, they're weird." I answered truthfully, "If they don't like you, then that's too bad for them cuz I'm not gonna let you go." I gave her a toothy smile and leaned in to give her a kiss on her cheek. She responded by lacing our hands together and giving my hand a light squeeze.

"So when are they getting there?" she asked referring to Kevin, Carly, and Freddie, breaking the comfortable silence that formed between us.

I calculated and estimated in my head before answering, "Well, they left like what... yesterday mornin'?" I questioned, to which Sam nodded her head, "Then they should either be there already, or just getting there. I mean, it's already been 24 hours." I answered thoughtfully. Sam just nodded her head and stared out the small window of the airplane. "Hey, sweetie...," I trailed off to get her attention, "don't worry, they'll love you." I reassured her. I pulled my hand free from her grasp, pushed the arm rest that separated our seats up, slid my arm between her back and the seat, and wrapped my other arm around her stomach. She turned slightly in her seat and leaned her back into my embrace.

"I'm just... scared?" she said unsure, leaning her head back onto my shoulder, "I mean, we're not even together yet and I'm about to like meet your whole family. How are they gonna take it?" she asked seriously, turning her head to look me dead in my four eyes (four, since I was still wearing my glasses).

"Shit, I don't know." I answered honestly, "Most of them will like you, _most_. My aunts will all want you to be their daughter in law, my uncles would tell me how lucky I am, and some of my cousin's might even flirt with you." I said with a smile on my face, never breaking eye contact with her. "If they do, I'll have to kick their ass." I added as an afterthought after flashes of if they really did flash through my mind.

She smiled too, but it quickly turned into a frown when she thought of something, "You said aunts, uncles, and cousins... right?" I nodded my head, "What about your... parents?" she asked slowly. Without even really thinking about it, my whole body stiffened up just at the mentioning of my parents. Taking notice of this Sam slowly turned her whole body around in her seat so that we were face to face, but she was still in my arms.

"I probably won't even introduce you to them." I said with a frown, looking everywhere but at her.

She looked at me, hurt evident all over her features, "What?" she asked breathless, "why not?"

"Cuz they're skunkbags," I answered with a shrug. She still looked hurt though. "They're the only two people who won't like you. Chances are, they'll talk shit 'bout you right in front of my face and I won't have the will power to stop myself from lashing back at them. They disapprove of everythin' in my life and it's not even worth it to see you get hurt when they give you and me both the cold shoulder." I explained seriously. "If you want me to, I will, but only if you really want me to." I offered.

She hung her head and shook it slowly before replying, "No. Never mind...," she sighed, "I don't want you fighting with your parents because of me."

"Shit...," I dragged out, "I'd fight the whole world for you." I stated with a real genuine smile, "I know your ass is gonna be by my side if I do, too. You're like a ride or die chick, a supa fly chick, wifey material typa chick." She just shook her head in amusement but stayed quiet, "I'm not lettin' go of you that easy, imma keep you by my side forever."

"Forever's a long time," she finally smiled up at me, "do you think you can stand me by your side that long?"

"Are you kiddin' me?!" I asked with one raised eyebrow and a smirk, "It's you and me forever plus a day, honey... forever plus a day."

"Sounds like I'm gonna have an extraordinary life ahead of me." she smiled brightly and turned back around in my arms. I heard her sigh and felt her body relax back into mine before a comfortable silence fell over the both of us.

It was at that moment where I finally found my reason for wanting to live and go on with my life.

–

"HONEY! I'M HOME!" I called out as I opened the unlocked door and stepped inside the home of my oldest brother, Steven, his wife, Ren, and niece, Nelly.

"Auntie Manda!!" Nelly squealed, jumped off of Carly's lap, and sprinted towards me. I dropped Sam's suitcase to the side of me and bent down to scoop Nelly off of the ground when she got close enough.

"Hey baby." I cooed, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "This is my friend, call her Auntie Sam, okay?" I turned my upper body slightly to the right where Sam was standing and Nelly nodded her head. "Sam, this is my baby girl, Nelly."

"Aww, you're so cute!" Sam cooed, tickling Nelly under her chin with an index finger. Nelly giggled and tried to swat her finger away with her small hands.

"I know, she get her good looks from me, huh Nelly." Nelly nodded her head enthusiastically with a huge smile on her face making everyone in the living room laugh. "Good girl!" I praised, giving her a kiss on the nose. "You learn so well." I chuckled before setting her down on the ground.

"'Sup guys? How was the drive?" I asked, picking up the almost forgotten suitcase and walking towards the other people in the room.

"It was long as fuck, cuh!" Kevin complained. "Someone over here had to pee like every ten minutes and shit." He gave Carly a pointed look.

"Hey! I told you what that slurpee would do to me, but you insisted on getting it for me!" Carly defended herself. "And plus, Freddie had to pee almost as much as me!" She pointed an accusing finger at Freddie, who sat there looking shocked at being called out on. Sam and I just stood there laughing at the scene.

"Yeah well for him it was simple. We just pulled over and he did his thang; you on the other hand just had to need a toilet, stalls, and toilet paper. Sheesh." Kevin shook his head and rolled his eyes.

Carly just gave him a disbelieving look while Freddie nodded his head in agreement. "Are you kidding me?! It took you like half an hour to convince him that he didn't need to be, and I quote, 'such a bitch that needed to step up and be an effing man', end quote." Freddie's face went red in embarrassment as I doubled over in laughter. Kevin really would say something like that to people, too. That's what made it even funnier.

"At least I finally did it...," Freddie stated quietly, with his head down.

"Yeah, at least he was man enough to do it!" Kevin agreed, patting Freddie's back roughly. I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be an appreciative pat, but the way Freddie winced stated otherwise.

Carly stared at Kevin disbelievingly and shook her head before responding in a raised voice, "If you haven't noticed, I'm not a man!" she stood up and stuck her chest out a little to prove her point. "I pee SITTING down. I don't have a dangling body part that shoots urine." she huffed before walking up to Sam and grabbing onto her wrist then dragging her down the hallway, most likely to one of the spare bedrooms.

"Uncle Kevin...," Nelly said slowly, getting the attention of everyone left in the living room, "you're so stupid!" she exclaimed, throwing a small pillow at him and sticking her tongue out. Kevin caught the pillow and stared at her shocked. It took me and Freddie a moment to realize what just happened, but when we did we were rolling on the floor laughing like crazy. I laughed even more when Kevin's brain finally functioned and he tried to catch Nelly, but she was too fast for him and ran off towards the room where the girls went.

"Oh my god...," I sighed while wiping away the tears that built up in my eyes, "I fuckin' LOVE her." I sat up on the floor and tried to get my breathing back to normal, but when I caught eyes with Freddie trying to do the same thing we started laughing again.

"She's so much like you, it's crazy." Kevin said while shaking his head in disbelief at what just happened. This caused me to laugh harder because it was true. "You can stop now you obese oompa loompa." He growled and threw the pillow, that Nelly threw at him, at me. It hit me in the face, making my glasses ride up the bridge of my nose and the lenses smear against my teary eyes.

"The fuck, you anorexic gorilla." I quickly sobered up and threw the pillow back his way. He yelped when the corner of the pillow hit him directly in the eye.

"You fuckin' burnt marshmallow lookin' ass." He shot back.

"You ugly walkin' shadow lookin' ass nigga." I snapped. I took off my glasses and cleaned it with the bottom of my shirt.

"Your face!" He stood up and walked over to where I was sitting. I threw my glasses at Freddie when Kevin got close enough and retaliated.

"Your neck!" I reached out with an arm and hooked it around the back of his neck as he bent down to slap my other arm. I pulled him down so he was facing the ugly stained carpet and I was bent over him with his head in a choke hold.

"Your mom's only daughter!" he breathlessly got out after a few moments of struggling. "Get offa me you fat munchkin!" He reached out an arm from under us and reached up towards my head, grabbing onto a fistful of my hair. I tightened the hold I had around his neck and got on my knees trying to get a better grasp. "Fuck cuh, get offa me. Can't breathe." he wheezed out, letting go of my hair and trying to pry both of my arms from around his neck.

"The hell's going on here?!" A deep voice boomed from the back door. Startled, I let go of the death grip I had around Kevin's neck and jumped onto my feet. When I turned to look at who the person was a huge smile graced my face. There stood my oldest brother, Steven. He was about 5'5", a little on the dark side, short curly black hair, dark brown eyes, and he had a beer belly.

"Big BRO!!!" I yelled happily before charging at him and jumping into his waiting arms. He stumbled back a little but caught me nonetheless.

"Fucking shit... Kev's right, you are a fat munchkin." he laughed after giving me a huge gigantic bear hug and dropping me on my feet. I gave him a glare and shoved him away by his chest. "Sheesh, you're a G! Why you so sensitive?" he asked, rubbing his chest with a pout on his face. A look of panic formed on my face and I looked at Freddie worriedly, hoping he didn't catch what my brother just said. "What?" my brother asked. I slowly made my way to where Freddie was still sitting on the floor and grabbed my glasses when he held it out for me.

When I realized that Freddie didn't understand what Steven was talking about, I relaxed and turned back to face them. "They don't know about us being gangsters." I said in Khmer, motioning between me and Kevin. "But the girl I'm talkin' to knows about me slangin' drugs." I told him.

"She does?!" Kevin and Steven both asked at the same time, a little too loudly, in English. Now this got Freddie's attention quickly. "How the hell did she find out?" Steven asked in Khmer.

My right hand flew to the back of my neck and I rubbed it nervously. "I kind of... told her?" I answered sheepishly, earning two slaps to the back of my head. "What?! She asked how I was makin' money, and I already told her I would answer any question honestly, so I couldn't fuckin' lie to her." I exclaimed, rubbing at the spot they somehow managed to hit at the same time.

"You lie all the time! What makes now any different?" Kevin hissed in our native tongue. "Holy shit!" he yelped when something hit him, "What if she tells Carly!? I haven't told her shit, yet, cuh!" he said in a panicked voice. I looked over my shoulder and noticed how Freddie seemed way too close to our little huddle, so I stood up and straightened my back then motioned for Kevin and Steven to follow me into the kitchen.

"She won't tell... I think," I answered Kevin's panicked stature, "and plus, I didn't tell her you slang with me. Fucker." I glared at him and hit him on the chest with the back of my hand. "And look, if all goes well, neither of the girls, nor Freddie, will know 'bout us bangin'." I tried to reason. My brother just nodded his head, but Kevin gave me another panicked look.

"Yeah, 'bout that...," he trailed off. I frowned. "Uncle Sam wants to see you before we leave..." he gravely informed me.

"WHAT THE FUCK?! You told him I was in Long Beach?!" I asked whisper-yelled harshly shoving him on the shoulders. His back hit the refrigerators door hard and a box of Froot Loops fell on his head. "Why the hell would you do that? You know I'm not tryna pull some illegal shit with the trio here." I growled out, yanking the red cereal box out of his hands and popping the cover open. I popped a handful of the cereal in my mouth as he explained.

"It's not my fault!" Kevin yelped when he tried to stick his hand in the box, only to have it smacked away. "We were at a gas station and he popped out of no where. He knew if I was in town, you'd be, too." he tried to reason, slowly creeping his hand into the box. "FUCK! WOULD YOU STOP HITTIN' ME AND LEMME GET SOME FROOT LOOPS, YOU GAY TARD!" he finally blew up and yelled at me when I smacked his hand away again, extra hard this time.

"What's going on in here?" a mature female voice broke up our scuffle and I turned around to see my sister in law staring at us in disbelief, carrying a smug looking Nelly in her arms. Just behind her Carly and Sam stood with their arms crossed over their chest and eyebrows raised in amusement. Just behind them was Freddie looking like he wanted to laugh, but decided against it.

"Hey...," I trailed off with a weak wave, "how's my favorite sister in law doin'?" I asked with a sheepish smile. She glared playfully at me with her brown eyes.

"I'm your _only_ sister in law."

"Which is why you're my favorite?"

She shook her head in amusement and then frowned when she looked down at the kitchen floor. "Why are there Froot Loops all over my floor?!" she asked incredulously. Thankfully Steven happened to pull the box away from my grasp while Kevin and I were arguing over the stuff. "You," she pointed an accusing finger at my brother then at the floor, "clean this mess up right now." With that she turned and walked out of the kitchen, her shoulder length black hair swaying behind her as she did so.

Kevin and I stumbled towards the door of the kitchen, doubled over in laughter, when my brother mumbled incoherent things under his breath and grabbed a broom. "Wow, someone is whipped-ed." I taunted then burst out in uncontrollable laughter when Kevin made a whipping sound with the hand movements and everything.

"Shut up!" My brother lamely snapped back, "Get outta my kitchen, ya overgrown kids." He chased us out with the broom.

When we walked into the living room Carly, Freddie, and Sam were sitting on the couch watching TV, respectively in that order. Since there was room on the couch, Kevin squeezed in and sat next to Carly, grabbing a hold of her hand as he did so. I frowned when the the space that was just there became nonexistent. I brought a hand up to my head and scratched it, lost in thought of how I could be next to Sam. All eyes were on me. I just shrugged my shoulders and sat on the floor in front of Sam's legs. She got the picture and spread her feet apart so that I was in between her legs and my back was against the couch. I turned my head up towards her, gave her a cheesy smile, and kissed her right knee which earned a smile in return.

"What is this? A lopsided triple-stuffed Oreo?" my brother asked when he walked out of the kitchen and saw us occupying his couch. I frowned at first cuz I didn't know what the hell he was talking about, but when I looked down the line I started laughing. Kevin is dark. Carly is white. Freddie is white. Sam is white. I'm dark, and since I'm sitting on the floor, we make a lopsided triple-stuffed Oreo.

"Always thinkin' 'bout food. No wonder your gut's hangin' out." I shook my head and made a disgusted face when my brother pulled his shirt up over his stomach and started rubbing it. "Yeah... noooo, put that away or you'll scare these prutty ladies and egghead off." I extended both of my hands in front of me and tried to keep him from getting any closer when he decided to walk towards me, stomach rubbing and all.

"Eat this ugly!!" he exclaimed, stomach bumping me in the face when he got a hold of my arms and held them apart from each other. "OW! What the fuck!? Did you just bite me?!" he asked incredulously, moving away from me and nursing his stomach where my teeth marks were shown visibly.

"Pawana." I showed off my grills and made chomping gestures.

"That's where Nelly got it from." He turned around and showed us a nasty looking bruise around tiny teeth marks to the side of his left lower back.

I just laughed and laughed and laughed until tears were forming in my eyes. I continued on laughing until I felt pain shoot through my right shoulder. "OW! What the hell?!" I jumped away from Sam and looked at her indignantly while she had a triumphant look on her face.

"Pawana." she mocked, gesture and all.

"I like you already." My brother informed, giving her a friendly smile.

I smiled winningly and stood up then went to sit at the arm rest next to Sam. "Well that's good." I stated, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulders. "She's gonna be your sister in law one day."

"No lie?"

"No lie." I looked down at Sam lovingly then returned my attention back to Steven. "Yo, bro hoe, this is Sam. Sam this is my bro hoe, Steven, yo!" I introduced them. Just as they were letting go of each others hands, my sister in law walked out of the hallway with Nelly in tow. "And this is my sister in law, Ren. Ren this is Sam."

"So you girls are together?" Ren asked curiously, looking between the two of us with wonder.

"Nah." I shook my head, "Not yet at least. We're just getting to know each other right now." I explained.

"You guys haven't... _duked_ it out in bed yet?!" My brother asked with wide eyes. I just laughed at his choice of words. If his daughter wasn't in the same room he seriously wouldn't have used that word.

"What the heck does 'duked it out in bed' mean?" Sam asked, totally clueless.

"The bang bang boogey." Kevin said.

"Bedroom boom." Carly added.

"Boom shaka laka?" Freddie answered, totally embarrassed by his answer. "What? You all took the good ones." He defended when we all looked at him and laughed.

I waited until the laughter died down to add my two cents, "I'm sorry, but my sex life is not up for discussion. 'Specially with Nelly in the room."

Kevin scoffed, "Yeah right, that's all that's been buzzin' about in the schoo' hallways." OMG, seriously? He did not just say that out loud. What an idiot.

"YOU WHORE!" my brother and sister yelled at the same time.

"Not whore. Pimp." Kevin corrected them. "You should have seen this one girl after some dudes party. There's this girl who talks a mile a minute... what's her name?" he asked looking at Carly and Freddie for help, snapping his fingers. "Tareen! She talks FAST like crazy fast, but when Shorty over here was done with her, she got all sluggish and quiet." Kevin laughed at the memory while everyone else chuckled.

Sam took that moment to bolt out of her seat and walk away from the rest of us. Everyone in the room stopped their laughing and looked shocked, as if they remembered Sam was still in the room. I hung my head before getting up and heading towards the room she just went in. Before I could even take a step though my phone started ringing. I sighed and dug the phone out of my back pocket. I let out an even bigger sigh when the caller ID read Uncle Sam.

I shot an evil glare at Kevin before answering the phone, "Hey, wassup Uncle?... huh? Oh yeah, I'm in town...," I shot another glare at Kevin that made him flinch. When I looked at the other people occupying the room, I realized that all their eyes were on me. "Tonight?" I sighed, "Right now?!" I exasperated, "I just got here though, uncle!" I paused a moment and sighed again. "Yeah, alright. Might as well get this shit over with. I'll see you in a little bit." I paused. "Yeah. I remember where. Later." I hung up the phone and just wanted to throw it at the wall.

"What'd he want?" Kevin asked cautiously. Shit, that nigga better have been cautious, I just wanted to rip him apart, limb by limb, at that moment.

"Pick up and drop off." I sighed, taking off my glasses and rubbing my face viciously with my free hand.

Kevin frowned, "Why didn't he ask me?" Was he.. was he hurt by this? What kind of cousin do I have?!

"Yeah right, remember what happened last time?" Last time Kevin did it, he got jumped by a rival gang and they took hundreds of dollars worth of weed and pills. Uncle Sam never depended on him again, well not for picking up and dropping off, at least. "I'll be back later."

"No." my brother stated firmly. I looked at him surprised. "Go talk to Sam first." I was about to protest but the look he gave me was not one I should argue over. With slumped shoulders I made my way to the only closed door in the hall.

I knocked on the door but got nothing but silence in return, "Sam? Sammie?" I kept on knocking lightly until the door opened just a crack. I took that as my go and opened the door wider. When I walked into the room she was sitting on the edge of the bed staring at the floor. "Honey, you know all those girls don't mean anything to me. They never did and they never will." I tried to persuade her. "You're what matters to me, now and later, whether or not you're my girlfriend." She just stayed quiet and kept her gaze down. I sighed when she didn't say anything, not even giving me a look. "I gotta go. I have some business to take care of. I'll be back in a couple hours." I bent down and gave her a kiss on her head before facing the door.

"You're gonna risk your life over some drugs, again?" she asked in a raspy tone. I turned my attention back to her. "You're risking your life for some guy who's too much of a coward to do it himself?" she asked a little louder. "After you _told_ me that it'll be me and you _forever plus a day_ you're gonna go back out there and risk your life?!" she yelled standing up and walking towards me. She slapped me, hard, across my cheeks and I just stood there taking the pain. When she saw I didn't even flinch she slapped me again, only to get the same result. She pounded her fists against my chest, and that's when I started showing some type of emotions. My boobs were really sensitive.

I stood my ground until she tired herself out and just collapsed against me. I carried her bridal style and gently placed her in bed. "I'll be back, okay? I promise. I'll come back to you, baby." I looked her straight in her eye, "This is the last time, I swear." I gave her a kiss on the corner of her lips and stood up straight. "I love you, Sam." I said almost inaudibly, to myself.

Just before I closed the bedroom door I swore I heard her say she loved me too.

**A/N: I'm so tired. Yawn***


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the people you don't recognize a.k.a my OC's.**

**A/N: Yay! Another chapter. Within a week! Yes, son! =) lol. I'm so proud of myself. Thank you for the reviews! It's not as much as my other stories, but I'm happy people are reading and reviewing this one =) you guys are AWESOME! Okay, Happy Reading! Or is it? O.o**

**CHAPTER 18**

I got home late at night. Probably around ten or so. I ended up having to pick up a couple bags of weed and pills each at Uncle Sam's house and then drop it off all the way in the run down part San Diego. I was lucky I took my brothers car instead of Kevin's. While my brothers car was a standard SUV, Kevin's 1998 Acura Integra was straight up street racer, so every cop would have had his eyes on me _and_ it was marked by every gang in the city. If I had taken Kevin's car and people recognized it, I would have been laying somewhere on my back in the middle of nowhere.

When I left it was the middle of the day, probably four in the afternoon, so traffic was heavy on the way down there, but coming back up it was better. I would have been home sooner, but I had some other business to take care of.

Using my brothers house keys, I unlocked the front door and limped inside the house. It was dark all around the house, and since Kevin's car was gone I assumed that he took the both girls and Freddie out to town, something I was grateful for. I made my way into the kitchen, not even bothering to turn on any of the lights, and opened the freezers door. Using the light that shined from the opened door, I searched around and found a small tea towel. I filled it with ice and winced as I placed it against the right side of the back of my head. Just as I was closing the door a SuperPop caught my eye. _This is gonna be good for my lips._ I thought to myself as I reached for it.

Just as I was closing the freezers door and turning around, the lights suddenly turned on. I winced, closed my eyes, and shielded my eyes with the hand that was holding the ice cream.

"Was it worth it?" Sam asked in a quiet voice. I sighed and lowered my hand to stare at her expressionless face. Her eyes went wide when she saw me, but it left as soon as it came. She narrowed her eyes, "Was it worth risking your life for someone who doesn't even matter?"

I accidentally bit my bottom lip, from nervousness, and winced before choosing to lick it instead. "Of course." I answered honestly. Her eyes went from shocked to angry slits again. "You're worth every blood, tear, and sweat shed." Hey eyes softened a bit, but stayed narrowed.

"What do I have to do with anything?" she asked confused.

I gulped the blood that pooled in my mouth and cringed, "You know it usually takes my type of people forever before they realize that the life they're leading is no good?" I asked. "It takes people like me _years_ to find someone like you, and sometimes it's too late. They're in too deep in this game called life, and there's no turning back for them." I turned away from her and limped my way to the sink.

"What the hell are you talking about?" she asked standing by my side now. "What do you mean 'people like you'?" she pried. I turned on the sink and cupped my hands under the water then brought my face towards the water. I sipped a mouthful and gargled it around in my mouth then spit it out. "What happened to you?" she demanded when blood spattered all over the white sink.

"I got jumped out." I answered before washing my face, wincing as my hand lapped over tender flesh.

"Jumped out?" I nodded my head. "Of what?"

I shut off the faucet and made my way to the end of the counter where the napkins were then turned around to face her, "The lifestyle that I chose a couple years back," I replied before hoisting myself up onto the counter, painfully might I add.

"Drug dealing?"

I scoffed, "That's what it escalated to."

She growled out in frustration, "Will you stop being so cryptic and tell me already?! You're making my head hurt with all this thinking."

I sighed and banged my head back against the cupboard then yelped, "Ow! Fuck!" I cried out, closing my eyes and flying a hand to nurse the back of my lumpy head.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked quietly, standing in between my legs and pressing the forgotten makeshift ice pack to my head in a matter of seconds. When I opened my eyes it landed on concerned blue ones.

"I started thinking 'bout how my life has changed since you crashed right in it, literally." I smiled at the memory that seemed so long ago, Sam did the same. "I remember when I first stared into your eyes, I was so... mesmerized, hypnotized... I'd never seen anything more bluer and full of life and mischief than these shining blue eyes," I brought a hand to cup her cheek and gently grazed my thumb under her eyes. "Then I started thinkin' 'bout how my life would be if I was to ever lose you and never got the chance to stare into your eyes again... that's all I needed to know that my next choice was a smart one."

"And that was?" she pried, cupping the hand that was on hers and giving it a light squeeze.

"To get out of the world that I've been so... accustomed to over the last few years. To leave everythin' I've ever known behind and start a new one, with you." I said seriously, looking into her eyes. "The gang life...," I trailed off quietly, taking my eyes off of hers and staring at the exposed skin of her collarbone(she was wearing a black wife beater).

"Wha-you-gang?!" she asked totally shocked.

"Gang, me, yeah." I laughed, wrapping my arms around her neck and pulling her into a hug. I winced a little as she wrapped her arms around my ribs and squeezed a bit. She quickly released me from her hold, but kept her arms around me. I pulled my white and dirtied tee-shirt up and we both cringed at the horrible purple and yellow bruises that were already forming on my upper ribs.

"Gang life, huh?" she asked, poking a bruise on my rib and making me yelp out in pain. She laughed at my pained expression before leaning in and lightly brushing her lips over the bruise; I shivered this time and pulled my shirt down.

'_Damnit Shorty, you're injured! Don't be thinkin' some freaky shit while you're in pain_,' I scolded myself. "Sorry I didn't tell you earlier... I didn't know how you'd react." I apologized sincerely, gazing at my fingers while playing with the hem of my shirt.

She ducked her head a little trying to look me in the eyes, and knocked our foreheads together when she did. "Well I'm shocked, that's for sure," she chuckled, "but I can't really say that I'm surprised." I gave her a confused look and she continued, "I was always... on to you? The way you talked, acted, and dressed was a dead give away. I know street slang too, yanoe. I have cousin's who are in gangs too." She pointed out like I should have known. "Anyone who says 'cuh' or 'cuhz' after every sentence either really loves that word, can't find a better word to use, or they're in a gang." she reasoned.

"I-,"

"You know I would have stayed by your side no matter what, right?" she asked seriously, looking dead into my eyes. "I'm glad you decided to get out though." She said with a smile. "Now let's get you in bed, you need to rest." she demanded softly, standing to the side of me and wrapping an arm firmly around my waist making sure not to squeeze too hard. She helped me jump down from the counter and made me lean onto her as she brought me into one of the spare rooms.

As she sat me on the edge of the bed, she stood in between my legs and reached down to pull at the bottom of my shirt up and over my head, revealing my white tank top underneath. Then she gently, but firmly, pushed my shoulders until my back was on the mattress and unbuckled my belt, popped my button out, and unzipped my jeans then pulled it off. It was so wrong of me, but I was getting so turned on.

I bit onto my bottom lip to hold a moan in and gripped tightly on the baby blue comforter with my hands on either side of me when watching her undress me got to be too much. "Oh god." I finally exhaled quietly when she was finally done. "Wait, where you goin'?" I asked quickly after she positioned me properly on the bed, pulled the comforter from below me, and tucked me in. It looked as though she was about to leave the room.

"Going into the other room...," she trailed off like I should have known.

"Why?" I asked innocently.

"Cuz this room is for you and the guys." she explained, "Carly and I are gonna sleep in the other room."

I frowned and pouted, "Why can't I sleep with you guys?" She raised an eyebrow at the question. "I mean you?" I quickly asked again, differently. She shook her head. "Please, baby, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?!" I begged, holding out my arms willing her to fall right into my embrace. "I don't think I could ever sleep without you at night anymore." I stuck out my split bottom lip and fluttered my eyes at her.

I could see her resolve crumbling as she let out a sigh and gave me a disapproving look. My face lit up when she closed the door and turned off the light. "What about the others?" she asked as she slid into bed, facing away from me. I immediately wrapped my arms around her and hugged her close from behind; I loved the feeling of her wrapped up in me.

"Shit, I don't care." I sighed. "All I know is imma sleep gooooood tonight." I mumbled before kissing the back of her head and getting comfortable. It was quiet for a few minutes before something popped into my head. "Where's everyone at anyway?" I asked quietly into her hair.

"I don't know. They left an hour after you did, something about games at 'Power Station', whatever that is." she responded in a sleepy voice.

"They all fit in Kevin's car?" I asked incredulously. His car was only a four seater, five if someone was willing to sit on the hard part in the middle, and had zero space.

I felt her shake her head against my chin, "His car's in the garage. They took the family van." I nodded my head in understanding and stayed quiet for a few more minutes. Then another thought popped into my head.

I frowned, "Why didn't you go with them?"

"I wouldn't have had any fun since I was worrying sick about you, so I told them to go without me. I wanted to wait for you." she replied in a slow, raspy voice. I pulled her closer and inhaled the scent of her strawberry shampoo.

"You're so good to me," I sighed as I exhaled slowly.

"Mmhmm," she hummed, "thanks for acknowledging that fact." she added groggily.

"You're welcome." I chuckled, pulling her body closer to mine. "G'night, honey."

"Mhm, night pookie." she barely got out. I just wanted to burst out in laughter after her little pet name for me but didn't. Instead I just chose to close my eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep.

–

"C'MON!" I yelled. The last of my patience was dwindling down. "I swear you take longer than a grandma to get ready."

"Shut up!" Was the lame comeback.

"You're gonna look dark and ugly no matter what, anyway." I groaned. I felt something poke at my still bruised ribs and jumped. Frowning I turned my head to the right and was met with an amused looking Sam. I jumped again when I felt another poke to the left of me. Guess who? Carly. "What? It's true! And plus, who does he have to look good for?! You already like him, dark and all." I pointed out, which earned a glare from Carly. "I'm just sayin'. Sheesh."

Five minutes later Kevin finally came out to the living room where we, Carly, Sam, Freddie, and me, were waiting. "Aight, I'm ready. Let's get our boogey oogey on." he said with a cheesy smile and doing a little dance, index fingers pointing out and shaking his butt.

"Ew. Dance like that and you'll not only scare the girls away, but you'll scare Carls away too." I joked earning chuckles from the group except Carly and Kevin. Then all of a sudden Sam slapped me on my arm. I gave her a 'what the fuck?!' look.

"Why would you be concerned if he scared other girls away or not?" she asked with one perfectly shaped eyebrow raised.

I gulped, "Huh? Wha? I'm concerned for Freddie's sake!"

She gave me a knowing look and nodded her head once, "Good answer." I smiled cheekily at her. "But if you look at any other girl, I'll make sure those bruises won't go away for a _long_ time." she threatened before breaking out into an innocent smile and standing up from the couch. "Now let's GO!" she exclaimed reaching down for my hands and pulling me up since I was scared shitless. I mean, I haven't seen Sam in action, but I've heard stories of what she's done to people. I don't want to be like Jonah and end up in a damn Wedgie Bounce.

"Where are we going anyway?" Freddie asked from the backseat sitting next to Carly, who was in the middle, and Kevin to her right.

It was a Thursday night, and for some reason that's the clubbing night. "V-Dub." I answered from the drives seat as I reversed out of my brothers driveway and onto the street. After I shifted to drive, I took Sam's hand in mine and laced our fingers together then placed it on my lap. A sudden rush of the past flashed through my head to the night I did the same thing with Jerika. I shook my head and turned to Sam who looked beautiful in a jean skirt, white long sleeve under a baby blue tee-shirt and black low tops. She looked back at me and gave me a small smile as she squeezed my hand.

"It's an eighteen and over club." Kevin added after I decided to just stare at Sam. "Yo! Go, cuhz. You've been in the middle of the road for too long." he reached forward and pushed my shoulder. I broke out of my stupor and muttered out an apology.

"Eighteen and over?!" Carly asked bewildered. "I don't know if you two have noticed, but none of us are eighteen.. or over!" she exclaimed frantically, right in my ear might I add. The car served to the left as I jerked away at her outburst.

"Carly!" I yelled over her heavy breathing. When she calmed down some I continued, "Don't trip! Shit. This is _my_ city, I'll get us in." I said seriously, occasionally switching my gaze from the rear view mirror, to look in Carly's eyes, then back to the road. From the corner of my eye I saw Sam giving me a look. I sighed and released her hand from mine to take off the hat that was on my head. I wiped the sweat that seemed to build up on my forehead and slicked my hair back before slipping the hat back on.

When I dropped my hand back on my lap, her hand was gone. I gave her my full attention when we were at a red light, but she kept her arms crossed and looked out her side of the window. I just shook my head and drove in silence the rest of the way to the club.

It took me awhile to find parking but when I did the three nubs were excited as they piled out of my brothers SUV. Carly was still skeptical of how I would get all of us in but just stayed to herself. The walk to the club was uneventful. Besides brushing our hands against each other every now and then, neither Sam nor I made a move to grab said hand.

Carly's skepticism was at an all time high when I lead the group past the long line of people and to the front door. It diminished when she saw me and Kevin hugging my cousin Frank. After I introduced Frank to Sam and Freddie, and Kevin reintroduced Carly as his girlfriend we all filed into the club. Before I take a step though, Frank stopped me with an arm on my shoulder and told me to watch out for David. I just nodded my head in acknowledgment and followed the group through the door. I'm not and won't ever be worried over David. If that asshole tried to do anything I'd probably kill him this time.

As I walked into the club, the four of them were just standing there taking in their surroundings. I went up to them and muttered something about getting a drink at the bar. When I was turning away I saw Sam giving me a sad look, but didn't acknowledge it. I didn't know what her deal was, but I didn't like it. I already told her all there was to know about me, so why the hell was she giving me all these weird and disapproving looks? I just shook my head of that thought and sat at a stool near the bar. I ordered myself a bottle water and just sat, drank my water, and watched as the bartenders moved around swiftly behind the bar as they made people's drinks.

When I was almost done with my bottle a girl sat next to me and gave me a flirty smile. I gave her a tight-lipped smile back and went on to finish my bottle. "Hey." she leaned in to talk in my ear

"'Sup." I greeted her back with the nod of my head. My attention wasn't on her though, it was trying to catch one of the bartenders gaze to motion for another bottled water.

She didn't seem disinterested though, "My name's Ashley, and you are...?" she trailed off. Did she want me to answer that question? Before I could open my mouth another person's voice answered for me.

"Taken." I turned my head to the right and saw Sam sitting there, fuming, with a look that could kill written on her face.

"I am?" I asked, shocked.

"You are?" The girl asked, also shocked.

"She _is_." Sam answered. She got up, turned me around in my seat and sat sideways on my lap, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Now scram!" Sam shot the girl another deadly look, which made her high-tail out of her seat and far away from us, and turned to look at me with narrowed eyes.

I looked at her with raised eyebrows, "Since when was I taken?" I asked curiously, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her closer.

"Since now." Sam stated as if it was obvious. "You're mine and I'm yours. Understood?" I just nodded my head dumbfounded. I'd agree to jump off a bridge if it'd stop her from looking at me like that.

"So I'm your girlfriend, and you're mine?" I asked... just to make sure. She nodded her head and I smiled. "What a way to get together." I joked, kissing Sam on the cheek.

We just sat there, in each others arms, silently while watching people dance. As my eyes were scanning the crowd, something caught my eye. Something like Freddie getting down and dirty with a girl. I pointed this out to Sam and she almost squeezed me to death from laughing so hard. It was amusing and entertaining watching Freddie grinding with a girl, well with anyone really. He seemed to know what he was doing though, the girl was one hell of a dancer too. I'm lucky Sam's attention was still on the couple and not on me, she would have taken a fist to my ribs.

It's not like I was checking the girl out or anything, but I was observing her really_ really_ closely. She seemed really _really_ familiar. The way she was dancing reminded me of... no, it can't be. I shook my head of those thoughts and used my hand to turn Sam's gaze on me. "Dance?" I asked shyly. She nodded her head and got off of my lap. "You gotta be gentle though, I'm still recovering." I whispered in her ear softly. She just smirked at me like 'yeah right' and lead us into the heart of the dancefloor.

We've danced together before, but I held myself back from getting too freaky since I was still in a relationship. This time though, I went all out. Even with bruised ribs and a limp in my step, I danced too freaky for my own good. My ribs were screaming at me to stop with all the bumping, grinding, and rolling of my hips, but I didn't listen. It hurt so good. This pain was worth it to have Sam's ass on my crotch as it met every roll of her hips. While one hand was on her waist, the other arm was wrapped around her neck loosely holding her body flush against mine. "You make me feel so alive." I whispered huskily into her ear.

All of a sudden she turned around in my arms and threw her arms around my torso, hugging me closer than ever, it hurt... but it was the good kind of hurt. Before I knew what was going on, her lips were on mine in a rough kiss. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. She pulled away before my brain could tell me to kiss back and laid her head on my shoulder. We just stood there hugging each other and swaying slowly to the upbeat song that was playing.

After a few moments, I felt someone poke me on my shoulder. I lifted my head from off of Sam's and turned to look behind me. Kevin was standing there with a worried looking Carly next to him. I nodded at them like 'what do you want?' and Kevin nodded his head to the quieter area of the club. I frowned and reluctantly withdrew my arms from around Sam's small frame. She looked a little put down, but when she saw Carly with that look on her face she had a look of 'what's going on?' on her face. I shrugged when she looked at me and took her hand in mine then followed Kevin off of the dance floor to a nice, more quieter, area.

"You won't _believe_ who Freddie's dancing with!" Carly exclaimed right as my ass touched the couch.

"A transvestite?!" Sam asked excitedly, taking the seat next to me. You could say she was pretty much sitting on me.

"No." Kevin answered like, ewww! I laughed at his scrunched up face. As he was about to give us the real answer he was interrupted by none other than Freddie himself.

"Hey guys!" he greeted cheerily, one of his arm was extended behind his back. I noticed this and let my eyes travel up and up and up until I looked at the reason why.

"HER!" Kevin and Carly said at the same time. Looking at me cautiously, obviously wondering how I was going to take the news. I was frozen in place.

"You guys know each other?" Freddie asked, shocked, as the girl who broke my heart and ripped it out of my chest stepped up beside him. Kevin and Carly didn't say anything and kept their attention on me, just in case, while Sam and Freddie looked at all of us expectantly... especially me.

As I sat there frozen stiff, staring at her with a murderous glint in my eyes, she stood there staring at me with fear and apprehension. From the corner of my eye I saw Sam staring between the two of us with a confused look on her face.

Through gritted teeth and a tight jaw I acknowledged her, "Jerika."

**A/N: turns out I _will_ be going camping with my cousins this weekend, so I wanted to get this out now =) thanks for reading! Now... review! K, thanks =D**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone you recognize. Even if you don't recognize it, I probably still don't own it. Lol.**

**A/N: another chapter, fresh from the donut shop! I'm at work right now, and I just had to work and finish this now. I don't wanna keep you waiting any longer, it's already been too long. Happy Reading.**

**CHAPTER 19**

"What the fuck was that for?!" I asked with a mixture of shock and anger in my voice towards my girlfriend of a couple hours. My right cheek was stinging with pain from being slapped by Sam herself. In fact, both of my fists were throbbing and the pain from my ribs were hurting again. I yanked my arms out of Kevin and Carly's grasp and brushed myself off.

"What the hell do you think it's for?!" She yelled back with anger. "How are you gonna go away with your _ex-girlfriend _ for an ungodly amount of time, then beat up on some guy who was just being friendly?!" she exclaimed in my face.

"Friendly." I scoffed. "If you call slippin' a roofie into someone's drink friendly, then yeah, he was pretty fuckin' friendly!" I started with a normal voice that rose higher after every word; I ended up yelling in her face. Like in her personal bubble, fists balled too tight and vein popping out of my forehead, the whole sha-bang. The shock that appeared on her face made me shake my head and take a couple steps back. "You can't be trustin' people you don't know Sam, no matter how friendly they come off as." I stated quietly, looking far off into the distance. "The only people you can trust are your close friends and yourself." I turned to look at her. "You've got those covered, since obviously you don't trust me." I saw the hurt in her eyes, but it was true.

"I do," she splayed a hand out over her hear, "I _do_ trust you." She patted her hand over her chest.

I shook my head, "No, you don't." I looked straight into her eyes. "You don't! You thought I did something with her, didn't you? That's why you accepted some strangers drink. You wanted to get me jealous, well guess what? It didn't work!" I exclaimed. "That was my dumb ass cousin, the one that helped my ex cheat on me, he saw us together and took that moment I went away to take advantage of you."

"How do you know?" she asked defiantly.

"See, if you trusted me you wouldn't be askin' questions like this." I started, shaking my head again. "And FYI, Jerika told me. He does this shit every Thursday. Slips a roofie into some girls drink and takes advantage of her."

"And how do you know she's not lying to you? She could be making some shit up! She _cheated_ on you, how could you take what she says to heart?!" Sam asked incredulously.

"Cuz whether or not you want to accept it, Sam, I _loved_ her once. Once upon a time not too long ago, she was the most important person in my life!" I jammed a thumb into my chest. "I always knew, and still do know, when she's bullshittin' me."

She was about to respond but Kevin just had to butt in. "Guys, maybe we should finish this somewhere else?" he questioned uncertainly, and he was right. We were in front of the club, where I just had a fight with none other than David, again. I barely heard him, though, since my eyes were glued to Sam's, but I must've nodded my head because the other three were already walking away. "Fuck!" I heard Kevin exclaim from ahead of us, "C'mon Shorty! Frank just texted me and said someone in the club called the cops. We gotta go." I just stood there though, staring and getting lost in Sam's blue eyes. "You're on probation remember nigga? LET'S GO!" He ran back towards the two of us and latched onto our wrists then yanked us behind him, sprinting to the car.

As we got to the car, I yanked my wrist from his hands and slowed to a stop. I just stood there and watched as Kevin frantically unlocked the car door and practically pushed everyone into the SUV. "You guys go ahead." I said.

Kevin stopped his frantic movements and looked at me like I was crazy. "What? No. no no no. Hell motherfuckin' no. Get your ass in the car. You know if you get caught up, you gonna be locked up for good. No more warnings or tickets. JAIL NIGGA." He yelled at me as if that'd change my mind. I just shrugged my shoulders. "Plus, I bet it's Sanchez that's gonna show up, and you know he's been out to get you since Vanessa." He warned. "Now get the fuck in the car!" He said from his position in the drivers seat.

I just shook my head and started walking away from them, the car. It's been a long night and I just wanted to clear my head. Fuck the police, they could suck on my nonexistent left nut. Just as I was rounding the corner I heard the car start. I shook my head; I bet Kevin dropped the keys somewhere when he was all frantic and shit.

"Oh shit! SHORTY!" Everyone's voice yelled at the same time, scared. I stopped where I was and turned around only to be met with David's muscular shoulder in my stomach. He charged me all the way to the wall of a brick building. The wind was knocked out of me. This guy was like a fucking wrestler. Not those small ones, but the big, huge, bulky ones. 5'8" and probably 180 lbs; he was a fucking beast.

When he released his hold on me, I slid down the wall and fell sideways, clutching onto my stomach as I tried desperately to inhale deep breaths of air.

"You fuckin' shit! YOU FUCKIN' SHIT!" He yelled over me, kicking me in the stomach, ribs, legs, etc. "You alone fuckin' ruined my life, did you know that?!" He seethed. Somehow he managed to get me away from the wall and into the middle of the alley right next to the building. "Ever since my family found out Jerika was cheatin' on you with me, they fuckin' shunned me! They love you more than the love me; my own flesh and fuckin' blood!" He went behind me and kicked me in the head. Holy shit it felt like my skull was about to crack open. "I got kicked out of my own home, by my own mother, slapped in the face by my father, and was told I was a disgrace to the Khem name because of what? FUCK! I don't even know. When did fuckin' a girl who wanted it just as bad as I did mean I was disgracing the family?" He got me on my back and sat on my thighs, keeping me in place, while his hands went around my neck.

I saw my life flash before me as I struggled under pressure. God, what the fuck was taking Kevin and them so long?! "The hood didn't even want me either. They said what I did was fucked up, even for them, especially since it was you," he continued on casually, as if he wasn't sitting on me and squeezing the shit out of my throat. "I had no where to go. Even Jerika didn't want anything to do with me. It was too late for her, too, though. When she came back from your new year party, everyone knew about what we did, and her family did the same thing to her. They fuckin' loved you too, did you know that?" He asked hysterically. "How the fuck can you have so much love?! You're a fuckin' gangster, and yet you're loved by all these people. How the fuck did that happen?" He finally looked down at my, what I'm assuming anyway, purple face. It felt like my eyes were bulging out of it's sockets and it was so difficult to keep my eyes open at the same time. "It don't matter though, when I'm done with you, I'll be the big bad gangster! I'll be that nigga that everyone hides from cuz I got rid of Shorty, and Jerika will be my bitch 'til the end." With that he strangled me even harder.

I tried my best to fight him off, but he was too blinded by rage to even flinch when I used up all the energy I could muster and dug my fingernails into his arm. I finally gave in to the darkness that was consuming me and knocked out as Sam's blue eyes flashed before me.

–

_I slowly got off of the couch, away from Sam's curious look, and made my way towards Freddie and Jerika. I gently, but firmly, grabbed her right upper arm and pulled her slightly to me. Freddie, Kevin, Carly, and Sam all looked at me confused, but I kept my eyes on Jerika's. "I'll be back." I called out to all of them and led Jerika through the crowd of people on the dance floor and out to the back door, the smoking section which was surprisingly empty. "What the fuck happened to you?" I demanded to know in a low voice._

_She was quiet for a moment, just staring at my face. It's as if she couldn't believe I was really there in her presence. Then she finally did something. She reached into her purse and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. I frowned and snatched it away from her lips as she was lighting it up. "I thought you said smokin' was disgusting?" I asked as I tore it apart and tossed it to the ground._

"_Yeah, well things change." she said while reaching into her purse and grabbing another cancer stick. As I reached out to grab this one from in between her lips, she turned away from me and lit it up. "Why do you care so much anyway?" she asked after inhaling the toxins and exhaling with the wind._

"_Yeah well, believe it or not, I actually do care." I sighed. Watching her smoke was so unnatural, but she looked as though she's been doing it her whole life. "When'd you start smokin' anyway?" I asked her curiously, staring off into the distance._

_She inhaled a huge breath and held it in before exhaling, the smoke coming out in white puffs after every word she spoke, "Ever since you left my life, and _he_ started controlling it." she replied with a bitter edge in her tone._

"_Why don't you just leave him then?" I asked as if it was the obvious answer._

_She scoffed, "It's not that easy. A lot's changed since you've been gone. He changed. A lot. He's a control freak now. If I left him he'd come for me. He'd go after my family too."_

"_Yeah well it's obvious he hits you whether or not you're with him." I stated in a matter of fact tone. She coughed a little, as she was inhaling, and looked at me incredulously. "You usually don't wear make-up, Jerika." I said softly, "The only times you ever do is to cover shit up. Next time you should be more careful and not sweat the make-up off. Other's wouldn't notice it, but I loved you once, so I know things."_

_All of a sudden she just broke down right there in front of me. The cigarette fell from its place wedged between her index and middle finger, and she collapsed onto the ground after it. I dropped onto my knees beside her and gathered her up in my arms. "I'm s-s-s-sor-ry. I sh-sh-sh-should-d-dn't ha-have done that to you." she sobbed loudly in my neck. "I f-f-fucked u-up so b-b-bad! I-I-I ru-ined th-the b-best th-ing in m-my li-li-life." It was so hard trying to understand what she was saying. Her words were broken apart and she was sobbing to close to my ears that it started to hurt._

_I just held her in my arms while she sobbed and stuttered out broken apologies. I whispered calming and soothing words into her hair as I ran my hands up and down her back. "You have to leave him." I said sternly. Even if the girl I was holding in my arms fucked me over so bad, it hurt to see her like this. She used to be so strong and independent. "You _have_ too." I insisted when she shook her head against my shoulders. "Would it make you feel better if he was completely out of your life?" I asked after I pulled her away from me and looked straight into her eyes._

_She nodded her head, "Yes. That would make my life so much better." she hiccuped, "But how?" she asked curiously._

_I shook my head and brought my hands to cup her cheeks, which she leaned into, and wiped away the tears that fell. "Don't worry 'bout that, leave it up to me." I assured her. "We needa get you outta here though." I said as I stood up and brought her up with me. "Imma call you a cab and then I want you to go somewhere, okay? Lay low for a little while, and then go back home. Everything will work out, I promise." She just nodded her head and followed me as I led her to the front of the club._

_I called and waited for a cab to arrive with her. When it finally did, she stared at me for a long moment of time, sketching my face into her brain. This was goodbye for good and we both knew it. I opened my arms, and she collapsed into it, inhaling the smell of my scent deep into her lungs; I did the same with her. When we both pulled back I gave her a kiss on her forehead and a small smile._

_Before she got in the cab she sighed sadly. "You have to get back in the club. David's in there." she urged._

"_I don't give a fuck 'bout him. I'll kill him this time if he tries to fuck with me or my girlfriend." I assured her. Wrong choice of words, since her face visibly fell, but I wouldn't have used any other words to describe what Sam was to me._

"_No, you don't understand." she shook her head slowly. "Thursdays are his worse days. He slips drugs into girls' drinks and takes advantage of them when they're out of it. He saw you and your girlfriend together earlier tonight, and he said that she was next." After hearing this my blood ran cold and I took off into a full sprint running back into the club._

_When I got to the area where I left everyone, there was only Freddie sitting there looking down in the dumps. As he saw me walking towards him he looked around and behind me expectantly, probably for Jerika._

"_Where's Sam?" I asked him quickly, urgently._

"_She went somewhere with some dude who gave her a drink," he shrugged, "probably dancing with him right now." Fuck, I was too late._

"_We have to find her." I grabbed onto his shoulders and shook him hard. "We need to find her!" I yelled in his face with all the emotion I felt running through my veins. "The faster, the better." I urged. "You look down here; bathrooms and everything. I'll look upstairs." With that I left a dumbfounded Freddie behind and made my way upstairs._

_I searched everywhere. The quieter area of the upstairs lounge, the over packed dancefloor, the girls restroom, hell I even checked the DJ's booth but still couldn't find her. I couldn't fucking find her. As I was making my way past the mens restroom for the millionth time, I froze when I heard grunting come from inside there. Duh. Why didn't I fucking check in here?! I smacked myself on the head and barged right in._

_What I saw made my heart drop down to my feet._

_Sam was knocked out cold, in her bra and panties, and there were about five guys surrounding her half naked form with their pants around their ankles and they were jerking off. I had never been so pissed off in my life. I grabbed a fucking toilet plunger, that was placed conveniently near the door, and started attacking every one of the guys. When I was done with them the suction part was covering one guys face, while the end of the stick was shoved in another guys ass. If I wasn't so pissed off, I would have laughed at the scene before me._

_I dropped my attention to Sam and covered her up the best I could with my sweater. Then I gently sat down beside her and pulled her head up to my chest. "Sam?" I cried out to her. "Sammie? Honey?" I tried to shake her when I didn't get a response. "Babe, wake up! PLEASE!" I was desperately trying to wake her up. Then I moved my head down, until it was above her heart, and held my breath._

_There wasn't any thumping against her chest. Why wasn't her heart beating?!_

"SAM!" I yelled, sitting up in bed and looking around frantically. Kevin was by my side like the faithful cousin that he was. "Where's Sam?!" I asked in an urgent voice. I was so blinded by worry I didn't even know where the fuck I was.

"She's aight, don't trip." Kevin assured me, sitting on the side of the bed and hugging me close to him. I fell into his embrace and clung onto him. "It's okay, she's okay. Don't worry." he kept on whispering in my ear while rubbing my back in a soothing way.

"It all felt so real." I whispered in his hold.

"She's at Carly's." he told me.

"Where am I?" I asked like a scared child, my voice was being muffled by his shoulder.

"You.. we're at home. In Seattle."

"I thought we were in LB. I thought it was too late... he got to Sam before I did." I started tearing up when the dream got to me.

"No. No no no." he pulled me away from him and held me at arms length. "She's okay." He reassured me. "You've been having the same dream ever since that day." he sighed. I gave him a confused look. "You went away with Jerika and then found Sam dead in the mens restroom, right?" I nodded my head. "Yeah... that didn't happen."

"But..."

"You _did_ leave with Jerika somewhere," he started to explain, "but you came back and beat the shit out of David. He was tryna offer a drink to Sam, but Freddie took it instead. That's why it took us forever to get to you, Freddie passed out in the car from the drug that was in the drink." He shook his head. "When we finally did get to you, it was too late. You were so fucked up nigga, Sam saw how bloody and shit you were then attacked David with a broken glass bottle she found on the floor in the alley." He paused to laugh. "It was fuckin' crazy nigga. I never seen a girl do so much damage on a big nigga like David. He was cut the fuck up. It took me, Carly, and like ten other cops to pull and keep her away from him. She's fuckin' _strong_." His eyes went wide at the admission, which made me laugh slightly.

"That's Sam for you." I said with a small smile. "So what happened after? How did I get back here? Cuz I really don't remember." I admitted.

"Well the cops tried to clear the 'scene' or whatever, but Sam wouldn't leave your side until the paramedics came. Even then she wouldn't let you go." he laughed. That really is Sam. My Sam. "David's still in the hospital, he's arrested, too, for possession. The cops found all kinds of drugs on him. He's gonna be locked up for a _long_ time after he's recovered. I don't know if you remember, but you woke up a couple of times the same way, calling out Sam's name and stuff. I mean you were okay at the hospital, they let you out after a couple of days, but ever since you got here you've been having the same nightmares over and over again. This is like the fifth time I've explained this whole thing to you."

"You just fuckin' with me right?" I asked flabbergasted.

"Nah, I'm not cuh! I think the doctor's missed somethin' when they checked your head, cuz you forever forgettin' shit now."

I just sat there staring at him for a moment before I grabbed the pillow behind me and swung it at his face. "I wanna see Sam." I stated after he got over the shock at having a pillow suddenly appear in his face.

"She wants to see you, too."

"Let's go then! I wanna see my babay." I cried out enthusiastically, shooting out of bed and regretting it as soon as I did; the world started spinning and my head felt like it was about to explode.

"Yeah, about that...," Kevin trailed off. I took a seat back on my bed and looked at him expectantly. "She's kinda pissed off at you. I mean, she wants to see you, but she doesn't."

"What? Why! I didn't even do nothin'!" I protested like a child.

"She thinks you still have a thing goin' on with Tasha." he explained slowly. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. How the hell can I still have something with Tasha?! "Last time she came to visit, she saw Tasha sleepin' too close to you."

"But! What?! Why the hell was Tasha sleepin' next to me for?" I asked shocked. "We were fully clothed, right?" I asked scared.

"Yeah you were." he assured me. "You were knocked out cuz of one of your medicines. I guess she got tired and laid out next to you; she just had to add in the cuddlin' and shit, too, though." he went on to explain. "I didn't know she stayed so long until Sam came over and started trippin'. You missed out on an _epic_ cat fight." he emphasized the epic part, "I can't believe you slept through that shit! It was crazy ass hell. You a G though, I never had any girls fightin' over me before." He smirked as I sat there totally dumbfounded.

When I got over the shock, I asked a question that I should have already known the answer too: "So who won?"

He scoffed and smirked, "Who else? Sam. Duh."

**A/N: time for excuses! I have NONE. I've just been having _wayyy_ too much fun this summer! Lol. I went camping one weekend, stayed in LB for a whole week, went out, chilled, and drank a little too much and just had fun! I also just turned a year older on the 31st of July =). Thank you to _croaker001_ for just being so insanely awesome! I love you =)**

**ps. the dream Shorty had was what really happened with Jerika, but the other part about Sam was the possibility of what could have happened to her. Just wanted to clear things up.**

**K, now review! Thanks!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly, or anything related to iCarly. I also don't own the rights to Usher's _You Got it Bad_ lyrics.**

**A/N: Whoot. Another chapter. Yay! Sorry it's been so long, again. I really tried to get this up before school started, but I just couldn't. Forgive me pleeeease. I hope this long ass chapter will make up for the delay though. Anyway, happy reading.**

**CHAPTER 20**

"HONEY! HURRY UP OR WE'LL BE LATE!" I yelled at the bathroom door from my position on the couch. I was slouched until I was practically laying flat on there with my legs propped up on my coffee table. I was worried that my brand new white tee shirt and black Dickies was going to get all wrinkled up, but after waiting for Sam for fifteen minutes I just didn't care anymore. If this was any other girl, I would have left her at my house and made her find another ride anywhere, but since this was Sam I learned how to be patient... only because I didn't want to get an earful or smacked around.

"No we won't!" She yelled back.

"YES HUH!"

"NAH UH!"

"YES HUH!"

"NO!"

"Yes."

"What are we gonna be late for anyway?"

"JUST HUR-," I was in the middle of yelling again when the bathroom door swung open and she walked through the door. "Wow." I sighed breathlessly. Sam stood there looking perfect in her short jean skirt that showed off her toned legs, baby pink button up shirt with no sleeves, and white low tops. "You look good, hon." I stated before standing up and walking towards her.

She extended her arms out for me, almost gesturing for a hug, but as soon as I was in arms distance of her a sharp pang gathered on my right upper arm and spread throughout my entire right side. "That's for yelling at me to hurry up!" She stated after dropping her left hand. Then she wrapped her arms around my waist, which made me flinch a little because I thought she was going to hit me again, and gave me a soft kiss on my lips that made the paranoia disappear. "And that's for being sweet after." She informed after pulling back slowly and giving me a smirk.

"But – I – ugh!" I replied flustered, then frowned when she laughed. "That hurteded!" I whined, pulling away from her a little to rub where she punched me.

"Aww here, lemme make it all better." Sam cooed before pulling me flush against her and giving me a lingering kiss. "All better?" She asked.

"No, not really." I replied poker faced. The look on Sam's face was hilarious, mouth agape and eyes staring at me disbelievingly. "You punched my arm, not my lips." I pointed out with a laugh.

Her eyes narrowed and she gave me an evil smirk, "Really? Would you like me to punch your mouth?" she asked seriously, bringing up her left fist so that it was eye level.

I quickly shook my head and looked at her with wide eyes. "NO! No, I rather you kiss 'em again." I puckered my lips and leaned in to kiss her.

"EW! No! You know I hate when you do that. It's so... ugly!" She shrieked and tried to get out of the hold I had around her arms. "EW! AMANDA KHEM! Don't you _dare_ kiss me with your ugly puckered lips like that!" Her threat wasn't taken seriously as I tried to kiss her again, but she pulled her head back and shook it quickly. "OW!" She cried out when my chin and her forehead made impact.

"OOPS!" I quickly loosened my grip around her arms and looked at her apologetically. "Sorry babe." I apologized softly giving her my best impression of the sad puppy dog look. She just shook her head and smiled.

"It's okay." she replied quietly. "You look ugly like that, too, by the way. So not cute. You look like Droopy." She pulled completely out of my grasp and ran out the door when I gave her an incredulous look.

"You're SO lucky I don't have my shoes on yet!" I yelled after her, running to my shoes next to the couch and slipping them on carelessly. Just as I slipped the left shoe on, I heard the car door open and close, then my car started. My hands automatically patted my pant pockets only to find them empty. Oh god, oh god, oh god! I ran to the door just in time to see Sam pulling out of my driveway. "SAM!"

Through the front windshield I could see her giggling like a little girl. I furrowed my eyebrows and ran into my room to retrieve the remote to the car. I clicked the OFF button on the remote and was met with silence, the roaring of my car engine dead out. Smirking, I made my way back to the front of the house and calmly closed and locked my door. When I turned around, the car was almost fully out of the driveway, but the front end was on the sidewalk. Sam looked at me horrified, probably scared that she broke my car.

I made my way to the drivers side of my baby, and opened the door. "OMG! I'M SO SORRY AMANDA!" Sam exclaimed. "I don't know what happened! I was just playing around, I didn't mean for it to break down on me." She gave me a guilty look and pouted. I just shook my head and held out a hand for her to take. She took it hesitantly, with a confused face, and stepped out of my car. Once she was fully out I held the remote that turned my car on and off in front of her face, waving it tauntingly. I slumped my shoulders when she just gave me a 'okay, it's a remote... what does it do?' kind of look. I clicked the power button and held it down for five seconds before my car roared back to life. The look on Sam's face made me laugh so hard, I had to use my car as a support. All of a sudden I felt sharp pain on the arm I had supporting myself up on the car. "ASSHOLE!" Sam screamed. "I was all worried I broke the car that you loved more than me." She said in a soft voice looking like she was going to cry.

"Aww, babe! I was just kiddin'," I said soothingly, running my hands up and down her arm. "And you know I don't love this car more than I love you!" I assured her, cupping her chin to look me straight in the eyes. "Yeah, sure, maybe I've saved up practically my whole life for her," I pointed at the rusty looking 1967 Mustang Fastback GT, "but I'd give her up in a heart beat, even though I'll be a lil' hesitant, if you really think that."

"Yeah?" She asked breathlessly because _everyone_ and their momma's knew how much this car meant to me. Yeah, sure, it was a little beat up here and there, but she wasn't something my cousins, brothers, or mechanics couldn't fix. All she needed was a fresh new paint job, new tires, and maybe a little work with the interior, but everything else was fine. I spent _a lot_ of money on the frame itself, and dropping a brand new motor into the frame was expensive as hell, but this was my dream car. Not only that, but I installed an automatic engine starter, too, hence the remote that can turn the car on and off. I've always wanted one ever since I saw _Gone in 60 Seconds_ when I was a kid.

I nodded my head in conformation, "I love you, yanoe?" She nodded her head slowly. "I'd do anything to prove how much I loved you. Dream girl over dream car _any day._"

"I love you, too." She said quietly.

"Ha, I know." I said cockily, pretending to pop an invisible collar, "You know how I do." I gave her a cheesy smile that made her giggle.

"You're so conceited." she stated shaking her head.

"I'm conceited, I got a reason." I started rapping.

"Oh god, not this song again." Sam groaned while pushing me away and walking to the other side of the car. "You have got to be kidding me!" she mumbled when she opened the car door and the song I was just rapping to flowed out of the car softly.

I just laughed and got into the car then started it manually, "Good times." I stated, giving her a wide grin before peeling out of the neighborhood.

–

"Aye cuhz, we're almost there." I said in Khmer. With that one sentence out of the way, I slid my phone shut and turned the corner into the Bushwell building's underground parking lot.

"Who was that?" Sam asked curiously.

"No one." I answered quickly, suspiciously almost, to get her alertness going haywire. I don't want to admit it, but it was so easy to aggravate this blond bombshell with beautiful blue eyes. She narrowed her eyes at me, yet stayed quiet, but I knew she wasn't happy with the simple answer I gave her. I smirked to myself and parked in the designated area for my car, the one that Spencer rented just for me. He's so awesome. "Aight, let's...," Sam got out of the car and slammed the door before I could even finish, "go." I sighed and shook my head.

I took my phone out and sent a quick, "_We're on our way up the elevator_." Then I pretty much had to jog to catch up with Sam. She probably looked over her shoulder at one point and saw me text on my phone secretly. "Honey." I called out before actually reaching her. She stopped and looked at me with daggers in her eyes.

"What?" She snapped with a little bit of an attitude mixed in. She placed all of her weight on one leg and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What? What do you mean, what?" I asked disbelievingly. "You over here getting mad over nothin'." I pointed out.

"Well obviously it's something if you don't wanna tell me what you're being so secretive about." she countered, huffing out an aggravated sigh.

"Whatever." I mumbled shaking my head and brushing pass her to get to the elevator. After I stepped in and punched the code to get directly to the Shay's loft, Sam literally ran towards me and pushed me against the elevator wall. "Whoa... what'cha doin'?" I asked just a tiny bit scared. The elevator doors closed behind her, and I panicked when she just glared at me.

"I swear, if you're talking to some girl I don't know about, you're gonna get it." she threatened, balling parts of my shirt in her fists and pulling my face towards hers. I smirked. She looked so cute when she's pissed off. "What are you smirking at?" Her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes narrowed.

"You're so sexy when you're mad and possessive." I gave her a goofy smile that melted the outraged look right off of her face. I then leaned in a couple of inches and planted my lips right on hers. We made out the whole ride up the elevator, only breaking apart when air was becoming a problem. All too soon though, well to me anyway, the elevator stopped and made that dinging sound as the doors opened. I slowly and reluctantly pulled away from her lips and discreetly looked over her shoulder at the darkened room. I gave her another peck on the lips before turning her around and quickly putting my hands over her eyes. I gently moved her forward and spoke into her ear, "I love you, beb."

After I said those four words I dropped my hands and the lights went on then people popped out behind their hiding places and yelled "SURPRISE!!!" at the same time. Sam gasped and cupped her hands over her gaping mouth. She took in the surrounding of the loft. Black and white streamers were hanging on the ceiling, black and white balloons were floating in the air tied onto chairs, there was a huge black and white "HAPPY 17th BIRTHDAY SAM!" poster hanging above the breakfast bar, and everyone who was there was decked out in black and white outfits except for Sam.

"I messed up your birthday last year, so I wanted to make it up to you. Happy Birthday, hon." I whispered in her ear before taking a step back as people started coming up to her and greeted her a happy birthday. She looked so happy it made my heart swell with love.

–

"Alright, guys!" It took awhile for everyone to realize that the music had stopped and Rodney, Jonah, and Kevin was trying to get each and every one's attention from the DJ's table in the corner of the loft, to the right of the door. "So this party has been goin' on for a while...," Kevin trailed off and handed the mike to Jonah.

"...Like forever!" He gushed stupidly. No one laughed at his joke. He cleared his throat, "Anyway, we got a special performance!" he said enthusiastically. Again, no one showed any emotion. A low 'gimme that!' was heard through the speakers and then Rodney snatched the mike from his grasp. "Not my fault they're such a tough crowd!" Jonah's defeated voice was heard.

"I'm sorry for this idiot friend of mine. He thinks he's funny when he's really not." Rodney gave Jonah a pointed look which earned a few chuckles from people. "Anyway! Where's the birthday girl?" he asked the room as a whole, looking around for Sam, who was cowinkidinkly sitting on my lap. I gave her a slight push and she got up. "Alright! Someone get a chair and bring it to the middle of the dance floor." He instructed. Gibby did as asked and placed the chair where there happened to be a huge X made with duct tape on the floor. "Sit down, Sam." Rodney instructed. She just stood next to the chair and gave him a look. "Please?" he sighed. She nodded once and sat down. I laughed at how my girlfriend didn't take too kindly to being told what to do.

Just as she sat down the lights went off, leaving the once dimly lit room, by black lights and strobe lights, pitch black. After a few seconds of darkness, a spot light was shining rather dully towards the landing of the stairs; the spotlight came from a desk lamp. I laughed when Freddie and Carly appeared on the landing and strutted down the stairs in a cocky way, the spotlight following them the whole way.

"Ladies, and gentlemen, please give it up for Benson and Shay," Kevin announced into the mike causing the whole room to clap their hands loudly, "They're gonna be giving us, mostly Sam, a special once in a lifetime performance." he informed in an upbeat voice. "Please, no cameras or nothin'! If anyone takes a picture of my girls ass, I'll deck a nigga." he said threateningly, giving the room a once over.

"Kevin!" Carly said in a scandalized voice.

"What?!" He cried, "I'm just sayin'!" He shrugged his shoulder and glared at the room one more time before Jonah smacked him in the stomach with the back of his hand and reached for the mike.

"Alright guys, who's ready for a show?!" He cried loudly into the mike. This time everyone cheered and a huge smile graced his face. "Let's do it then! Oh yeah, guys don't get too happy now." He looked directly at Freddie, "Her girlfriends just right there." He pointed at me then patted the DJ's shoulder and _Temperature_ by Sean Paul started blaring through the speakers.

Carly immediately turned towards Sam and took off her jacket, throwing it at Kevin. She misjudge the distance and it landed on Jonahs head instead. He took it off and hugged it to his body, then brought his nose down to sniff at it. Kevin whacked him upside the head and snatched it away. I shared a good laugh with the people surrounding my chair and turned my attention back to the show.

People were laughing and pointing at Carly. I was wondering why until she turned around and I saw a nice model body spray painted onto her white shirt. Freddie started unbuttoning his black buttoned down long sleeve shirt and threw it open, revealing a big muscular body in a speedo spray painted on the white shirt he had under. Then simultaneously they both turned their attentions to Sam and each straddled one of her thighs.

The look on Sam's face was priceless as her two best friends gave her their horrible version of a lap dance. Sometimes she would squeal in surprise and throw her head back or laugh like crazy and cover her face with both hands. While Freddie had his back towards her he would pop his booty and shake his ass. When Carly was facing Sam, still straddling her thigh, she would try to grind against it but it came out as more of a humping motion than anything. As the music came to an end, everyone was hooting and hollering their approval while Carly and Freddie both stopped what they were doing and pulled Sam up and off of the chair then gave her separate hugs.

Sam thought it was over and was about to leave with the both of them until my voice came out of the speakers. "Nah uh! We're not done with you, yet!" She stopped in place and turned towards me with a surprised expression on her face, now there were two spotlights: one on her and the other on me. "Sit back down, beb." She sat back down instantly, and a ways behind me I heard Rodney scoff saying how she only listens to me. I laughed on the inside and continued on. "As you all know, Sam and I have been together for a little over than a year already... right?" I questioned playfully, earning a glare from Sam. "Right! I was just kidding. Sheesh. How can I not remember the day this beautiful specimen made me the happiest person on Earth?" A round of 'awww!' came from the girls, a few whistles came from guys, and gagging noises came from the three stupids coming from behind me. "Last year your birthday was kind of ruined, because of... stuff." A low rumble of giggles and chuckles went about the room and I turned around just in time to see Kevin, Rodney, and Jonah pointing at me. 'Assholes,' I mouthed to them before turning back around. "I wanted you to have a birthday to remember, so I-."

"AHEM!"

"CARLY and I-."

"HEY!"

"Carly, THESE STUPID GUYS, and _I _wanted to do something special for you." I finally finished after being interrupted by first Carly then Kevin, Freddie, Jonah, and Rodney as a whole. "And like I said earlier we're not done with you." With that, I nodded at the DJ and he started a song. "Sorry, I'm not a really great singer, so ya'll are gonna have to bear with me." I apologized ahead of time as the track started.

"_Oooh hoo, no no no no... _(As the music started, I used what little room I had and danced as best I could to the beat)

_When you feel it in your body  
You found somebody who makes you change your ways  
Like hanging with your crew _(I turned towards the guys and waved them off, like I was brushing them away.)_  
Said you act like you're ready  
But you don't really know  
And everything in your past - you wanna let it go_

I've been there, done it, fucked around (I did some pelvic thrusts and stopped to look at everyone as if I got caught doing something I shouldn't have, earning a few laughs.)_  
After all that - this is what I found  
Nobody wants to be alone_ (I shook my head in agreement to the song.)_  
If you're touched by the words in this song  
Then baby..._

You got it, You got it bad  
When you're on the phone  
Hang up and you call right back  
You got it, You got it bad  
If you miss a day without your friend  
Your whole life's off track  
You know you got it bad when you're stuck in the house  
You don't wanna have fun  
It's all you think about  
You got it bad when you're out with someone  
But you keep on thinkin' bout somebody else  
You got it bad

When you say that you love 'em  
And you really know  
Everything that used to matter, it don't matter no more  
Like my money (I pulled all the money I had in my pockets out and threw it out at the people who were standing in front of me)_, all my cars _(I tossed my keys to Kevin who was standing to the left of me.)  
_(you can have it all back)  
Flowers, cards and candy _(Kevin, Jonah, and Rodney each pulled out the items from behind their backs as I sang them respectively.)_  
(I do it just cause I'm...)  
Said I'm fortunate to have you girl _(I slowly made my way towards Sam, the spotlight following me as I did so)_  
I want you to know _(I knelt down on one knee and grabbed a hold of her right hand)_  
I really adore you _(I kissed said hand and stood up again, still holding onto her hand)_  
All my people who know what's going on  
Look at your mate, help me sing my song  
Tell her I'm your man, you're my girl _(I turned towards Kevin who was staring straight at Carly and smiled as he sang the line to her)_  
I'm gonna tell it to the whole wide world  
Ladies say I'm your girl, you're mine too _(I turned my attention back to Sam and sang along, but changed a few words)_  
Promise to love you the best I can_

See Ive been there, done it, fucked around  
After all that - this is what I found  
Everyone of ya'll are just like me  
It's too bad that you can't see  
That you got it bad...hey ("Hey!" Kevin protested over the music, "I do see that!" I smiled and shook my head.)__

You got it, You got it bad  
When you're on the phone  
Hang up and you call right back  
You got it, You got it bad  
If you miss a day without your friend  
Your whole life's off track  
You know you got it bad when you're stuck in the house  
You don't wanna have fun  
It's all you think about  
You got it bad when you're out with someone  
But you keep on thinkin' bout somebody else  
You got it bad

As the breakdown followed through, I straddled Sam's lap and gave her a slow and sensual lap dance. A real lap dance, not the one Freddie and Carly gave her. My hips rolled and ground slowly to the beat of the song. After a few seconds Sam responded and grasped onto my hips and pushed me flush against her with each bump and grind of my hips, grinding and rolling her hips in time with mine. I tossed the mike on someone's lap, since the chair was placed in front of the couch, wrapped my arms around Sam's neck and brought her as close as I could to me. I buried my face into the crook of her neck and inhaled the smell of her strawberry shampoo mixed with sweat and a smell all her own. My Sam smell. "I love you so much, honey." I whispered directly into her ear. "Happy Birthday." I gave her a kiss on the cheek and pulled back.

Our eyes directly found each other and I got lost in her blue orbs. God, they were so beautiful.

The rest of the music continued on. I guess everyone saw how wrapped up we were in each other, so they turned off the 'spotlights' and everyone just did their own thing.__

You got it, You got it bad  
When you're on the phone  
Hang up and you call right back  
You got it, You got it bad  
If you miss a day without your friend  
Your whole life's off track  
You know you got it bad when you're stuck in the house  
You don't wanna have fun  
It's all you think about  
You got it bad when you're out with someone  
But you keep on thinkin' bout somebody else  
You got it bad"

–

The parties been on for a while now. Spencer was out of town for a sculptors convention, but he knew about the surprise party for Sam. He was the one that offered the loft while he was gone, but only under the condition that there couldn't be any drugs or alcohol at the party. I gave him my word and there hasn't been any drug or alcohol floating throughout the whole party.

After my little performance people came up to Sam and I some wishing her a happy birthday and others telling me that I did a great job.

Sam left me sitting there for a while claiming that she was thirsty and took off to the kitchen to grab a cup of soda. As I was sitting there by myself, staring at Sam from behind, someone sat down in my line of sight. It was Tasha.

"Hey Shorty." She greeted.

I sighed and replied, "Wassup Tash." Might as well try and be polite since I didn't want to start any drama at the party. "How ya been?" I asked even though I really didn't care.

"I've been great. I just got my acceptance letter to UCSB, I'm finally gonna leave this place behind." She answered. "How about you?"

"That's great!" I exclaimed, sincerely happy for her. "I've been accepted into Seattle Community College for awhile now." I said with a goofy smile, "and I've been great also."

There was a moment of silence between the two of us after we shared a laugh. I sat there and wondered why she really chose to come up to me now, out of all times. I leaned slightly to the right and looked over her shoulder. The image I saw spiked my curiosity. Sam was standing there with a blank expression on her face talking to some skinny white kid wearing baggy clothes that hung off his body like drapes, and his long blond hair looked untamed.

"You really love her, huh?" Tasha's question broke off my staring and I turned my attention to her. She looked sad and defeated.

It was then that I realized we never got to talk and get the closure that we needed, I'm just surprised that it took a year to finally get it. I sighed and nodded my head. "Yeah, I do." I simply stated. "Look, Tasha. I'm really sorry for every thing that's happened between the two of us. I'm an asshole, a huge one. I'm sorry for usin' you the way that I did and then just tossin' you away when I was done." I apologized.

She was quiet for a moment as she took everything I just said in, "So you never really had any feelings for me?" she asked softly. I painfully shook my head no. "I knew it!" she exclaimed quietly. "I always knew that you'd never like me the way I liked you, but I was too hung up on myself to grasp it." she admitted.

"I'm sorry for leadin' you on and makin' you believe that." I apologized sincerely. "I'm sorry I fucked up a great thing you had with Jake. I'm sorry for everything. I know I hurt you badly. No girl deserves to be treated the way I treated you, you deserve so much more than that."

She shook her head, "No! It's not all your fault. I knew what I was getting myself into, but I went through with it anyway. Truthfully, I was only in it for the ride in the beginning, but after I spent so much time with you I really started liking you for who you were. You're a work of art, Amanda "Shorty" Khem." she ended with a sad smile.

"Thanks?" I said unsure.

She laughed, "No problem." She stood up, and I followed. "Have a good life Mizz Thang." I laughed loudly at the nickname she gave to me when we had our little fling. I never really understood it, but she said it was because I'm so confident and always thought I was the shit. "I wish you nothing but luck with Sam." She gave me a smile that I returned. Slowly and cautiously she moved in towards me with opened arms. I just shook my head in amusement and pulled her in for a huge hug.

"Hey, you know if you're lookin' for a great guy I know some people." I stated after we pulled away from each other. She raised her eyebrows questioningly at me. "I mean, there's Jonah." She quickly shook her head.

"NO! Ew, that guy totally creeps me out. He's weird." she declined.

"There's Rodney." she gave me a confused face. "Rip-Off?" I gave, trying to help jog her memory.

"Oh god, no." she shook her head again. "I don't wanna get involved with someone who might end up in jail in the future." I scoffed at this because she was involved with _me_, and I was more likely to end up in jail than Rodney was.

"Then the only guy left is Freddie."

"The tech nerd?" she asked incredulously.

I shrugged my shoulders, "He may be a tech nerd but he's a pretty cool guy. And you saw how he popped his booty, there might be a lil' freak hidden somewhere in there." I pointed out teasingly with raised eyebrows.

"Hm, you may be on to something." She agreed. I laughed.

Something caught my eye from right behind her. Sam looked scared and was backing away from the kid that was still standing in front of her.

I forced my eyes away from the scene and gave Tasha a smile that didn't want to be there. "Go get 'em, tiger." I said playfully, patting her arm softly before moving away from her and making my towards the kitchen. "What's goin' on in here?" I asked as soon as I stepped foot in there.

Sam seemed to relax and let out an air of relief when our eyes locked, but the kid stiffened up. When he just stood there and had no intention of turning around, I got impatient and grabbed onto his shoulder. As soon as my hand made contact with his shoulder, he swung around quickly and I ducked just in time for him to miss me. When I stood up straight his arm came swinging at me again. My reflexes kicked in just in time and I dodged out of the way. When his arm was retracting I threw my left arm over his and hugged it to my side then hooked around it, putting pressure on his joint by lifting it up. He cried out in pain and dropped whatever it was he was holding on the floor. It fell and made clacking noises. I pounded him in the ribs hard a couple of times and dropped him on the floor.

As he was gasping for air, I reached down and picked up his weapon – a shank. I noticed that there was a small spot of blood on the blade and searched my body but didn't find any cuts, then I quickly turned my attention to Sam. She was stood there with a stunned expression on her face.

"You okay?" I asked. When she didn't respond I walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched at the contact and I quickly withdrew my hand. "Honey... are you okay?" I asked again. She broke out of her stupor and gave me an expectant look. "Are you okay?" I asked slowly. She nodded her head but stayed quiet. I slowly reached out a hand to her, just in case she was still scared, and placed it on her upper arm. I felt warm liquid. I felt around on her arm with my fingers then pulled it back. What I saw pissed me off.

I went back to the kid and roughly grabbed his chin with the hand that had Sam's blood on it and made him look at me. Son of a bitch! It was Seddie. I swore I got rid of this shit head a long time ago. With all the anger I could find in me, I swung a fist at his head again and again and again. By the time I got my fourth shot in, someone pulled me away from his bloody face.

"What the hell, Shorty!?" Someone asked, yelling at me like I was crazy. My focus was on Seddie though. He was looking around like he was on some good shit, his eyes were wandering around and would sometimes slip into the back of his eyelids. I wasn't satisfied though. I broke free from who ever pulled me away and ran at him again. I got a few good kicks in before I was restrained at the other side of the kitchen. "Shorty!" The person walked from behind me and stood in front of me, breaking the intense glare I had at Seddie half-conscious on the kitchen floor.

"What?!" I snapped, finally looking at the person who pulled me away from almost murdering someone. "Tony?" I asked confused. I was seriously thinking it was either Kevin, Jonah, or Rodney who pulled me away.

"Yeah, me. Hi." he gave a little wave. I frowned and stared up at him. This guy was _tall_. Not like, Kevin tall, but like 6' something tall with nothing but muscles. He was on the basketball team and I knew him because Kevin's on the basketball team also and we would ball together after school. "So uhh, what were you doing?"

"Kickin' some ass." I answered as if it was obvious. "What did it look like I was doin'?"

"Why?" he asked curiously. I was amazed. Here I am, pissed off as fuck, and he's just standing there asking me questions... that I'm actually answering when I could still be kicking some ass.

"Cuz that stupid skinny nigga attacked my girlfriend!" I shouted angrily. He stood there as those words left my mouth, and the transformation was amazing to me. One minute he was all calm and asking me questions, the next he turned into incredible Hulk.

"He _attacked_ her?" he asked menacingly. I nodded my head and showed him Sam's blood on my fingers. "That son of a bastard!" Tony growled out. I was shocked. Tony's a real sweet and down to earth type of guy. I'd never seen him pissed off before, but here he was probably even more pissed off than I was. I'm starting to think he has a crush on Sam. Before I knew what was happening, he stalked his way on over to Seddie and lifted him up easily over his shoulders. "Don't worry. I'll handle him." He informed me before making his way across the loft and out the door.

I shook my head and just stared as the front door closed while people were still dancing and enjoying the party as if someone being carried away by a huge guy happened all the time. I turned my attention back to Sam, who was right where I left her, and made to hug her.

She clung onto me as if she was scared and wouldn't let me go. "It's okay, hon. I'm right here." I assured her. She nodded her head in understanding, but didn't relax.

"I know you are." she said softly. Wrapping her slim arms around my waist. I wrapped my arms around her neck and brought my hands up to her hair, caressing it softly. "I love you."

"I love you, too." We just stood there for a while, and I was wondering why she got so scared. "What did he want?" I asked, pulling away from her slightly.

"Nothing." she shook her head quickly. "He didn't want anything." then she burrowed her face into my neck and sighed deeply.

I didn't believe her, but I didn't call her out on lying either. Obviously he did want something, and I'm not going to give him the chance to get what ever it was. I will seriously kill that nigga if he gets near my girl again.

**A/N: FINALLY. Holy shit, just writing this chapter was tiring! My eyes feel like it's about to fall out of it's sockets! Anyway, hope it was enjoyable. And yes, this was set a year after the last chapter. Thanks, now review.**

**P.S: Did you like your little cameo, Tony? Lol. I did say I was gonna add you in one of these chapters and have you handle Seddie, and you did! Yay =)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly. I'm not making any profit using the characters in the show.**

**A/N: Life has been... wack, and that's the only excuse you'll be getting. Anyway, I'm trying to end this before the one year mark hits. It's been dragged out for too long. Trying to finish it with 25 chapters or less. Let's see how that works out. Happy Reading.**

**BEWARE: Long chapter ahead....**

**Dedication: _croaker001_, because he's just been awesome. AND.. _A.Y.P_. because she's just been fucking awesome and I made her wait agonizingly long for a chapter like this. Haha. I hope it was enjoyable, at least. If it's not I'll (hopefully) make a better scene in the next few chapters xD**

**Chapter 21**

Life throws you unexpected shit sometimes that'll make anyone's life be thrown off course. Sometimes you expect whatever it throws you, but you just don't know when. Like for instance, falling in love. It's inevitable. People fall in love at one point in their lives, they just don't know when or how it'll happen.

I always knew I was gonna _really_ fall in love, but I seriously can't tell you the exact moment that I fell in love with Sam. Maybe it was the exact moment we bumped into each other on my first day of school, or that time we found a common foothold with girls and their make-up. Probably that time Carly called me at two in the morning crying hysterically while trying to explain that Sam was leaving and never coming back. I really, honestly, don't fucking know. I've known her for almost a year and a half, and I've already fallen head over heels in love with the girl.

Imagine knowing her for _years_, being in love with her for half those years, and having her completely oblivious to the way she makes you feel.

That's how Freddie feels.

It was after Sam's surprise birthday party, and I slept over. It wasn't that late when the party finally ended, but Sam wanted me to stay... and so I did. After we finished cleaning the loft we settled down on the couch and watched TV. I was laying between Sam and the back of the couch with one hand bent under my head, and she was laying with her back to my front using the little part of my arm pointing out as a pillow. My free arm was loosely draped over her waist. I was comfortable and content with just laying with her, having her wrapped up in my arm, so comfortable in fact that I basically knocked out after a few minutes of just breathing her scent in.

When I woke up the next day Sam was still sleeping peacefully with her head on my shoulder and an arm wrapped around my stomach. I didn't want to move; I just wanted to stay in that position forever, but my bladder was protesting wildly. I tried to maneuver my way from under her, but she tightened her grip around my stomach. I winced.

I slightly shook her, "Honey, can you let go real quick? I needa pee." She didn't budge. "You better let go or else imma pee on you." I threatened. She groaned and released her hold on me. "Thank you." I gave her a kiss on the crown of her head and somehow jumped up and over the back of the couch.

As I was relieving my bladder of its contents, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone. Two missed calls and one voice message. My aunt.

"_Hey sweetie. I know you're probably still sleeping but your uncle isn't feeling well, and your cousins __are already working, so do you think you can watch the shop for us while I take him to the doctors? Give me a call if you can. – Sunday, April 18. 8 o' clock AM. To replay this message, press 1. To save-._" I sighed and hung up the phone.

"I'll be back later, k?" I said to Sam after I was done washing up and refreshing myself. I sat on the edge of the couch and brushed a few strands of hair away from her eyes. "Aunt Rose needs me right now." I explained when she looked at me through half lidded eyes. She just nodded her head and reached out to me. I leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips. As I was about to pull away she wrapped her arm around my neck and held me in place.

"Can you bring me upstairs first?" she asked in a sleepy, husky voice. I smiled and nodded my head. I slipped my right arm under her thighs, left arm behind her back, and stood up. I waited until she got herself situated in my arms before walking up the stairs. By the time I made it to her room/the iCarly studio I was panting and sweating. "You need to start working out." She mumbled, wiping her hands on my shirt as I laid her down on her bed because my neck got all sweaty, too.

"Gee, glad to know my bangin' body needs more work." I replied in a happy, yet sarcastic tone.

She shoved me away and turned on her side. "I'm just looking out for you," she mumbled. "You just walked up three measly flights of stairs and you're tired." she explained with closed eyes.

I scoffed, "I'm sorry for breakin' out a sweat from carrying my girlfriend up the stairs. It's not like you weigh a lot or anything, nope you're as light as a feather." I said playfully. All I heard was "asshole" before one of her pillows magically appeared out of thin air and slammed into my face. "Aww! You smeared my glasses." I pouted when my eye sight turned blurry.

"Shoulda wore contacts." she simply stated.

I frowned, "I know. I needa order some more."

She turned around onto her back and took my glasses off for me, "I'm just kidding. I think you look better with glasses." She said, using her shirt to clean the lens for me. "Plus, it makes your eyes look bigger, too." she giggled, when she placed my glasses back on my face.

I made an offended face, "Thanks a lot!"

She smiled. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

--

By the time my aunt and uncle came back from the doctors and running some errands the sun was in the highest position in the sky and I was drained. I just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep, but I just had to tell Sam I would be back.

After I finished eating the chicken and rice my aunt brought for me I headed to the Bushwell Plaza. I was seriously contemplating on just calling Sam and telling her I was going to head home, but something stopped me from doing so.

It's like I felt something epic was going to happen.

I parked in my reserved parking space, got on the elevator, and punched in the code to go directly to the Shay's loft. When I reached the loft, the doors opened to reveal Spencer making a huge fork made out of spoons.

The ding of the elevator caught Spencer's attention and he turned his attention to me.

"Hey Shorty." He greeted in his quirky self. I nodded my head in acknowledgement but kept my attention on his latest sculpture.

I frowned, "A fork made out of spoons?" I asked disbelievingly. I really shouldn't be so surprised when it comes to his work, but he just doesn't stop wowing me.

He nodded his head enthusiastically. "I call it 'Spork'," he announced happily then over exaggeratedly modeled his sculpture. "Don't you just love it?!"

I just nodded my head slowly, still in that 'wow' stage. "Very... original?" I asked in a statement.

A huge smile graced his face and he threw his arm around me in a huge, back breaking hug. "Thank you!"

His attitude caused me to smile. "No prob." I said when he let go of me. "So where's Sam?" I asked.

He returned his attention back to his work. "She's upstairs with Freddie going over the next web cast." he replied. "Carly went out with Kev-O. She called earlier and said they'll be back in about twenty minutes."

I nodded my head. "Aight thanks, Spence. Imma head up there, I'll see you later." He threw a smile my way and I returned it before heading up the stairs.

As I got to the third floor, I noticed that the door was almost closed all the way and the blinds were pulled down. I frowned. It's usually wide open and the blinds were only down at night when Sam's sleeping. I was about to barge right in when I heard the end of Sam's sentence.

"... She's so amazing." By the tone of her voice I knew she had a huge smile and dreamy look on her face. It made me smile.

I heard a grunt before Freddie responded, "Yeah, she is." He didn't sound too happy, more like he was annoyed and aggravated but he was trying to sound neutral.

"God, did you see that lap dance she gave me?!" Sam gushed. "I mean, I knew she could dance and I've heard it from other people... but _damn_ she was more wonderful than I imagined." She sighed.

"Yeah Sam, I saw. I was _right there_." Freddie groaned. "I gave you a lap dance, too!" he pointed out.

She scoffed, "That was hardly a lap dance."

"Well... whatever!" I could imagine him throwing his arm out in frustration.

It was quiet for a few seconds. "What's wrong with you, Fredweirdo?" She finally asked.

"Nothing." He huffed.

"Seriously, what's wrong?" She asked in concern. "C'mon Fred-O. Freddie... _Freddie._" She sing-songed trying to coax an honest answer out of him.

"I said it was nothing, damn it!" He snapped. The frown that found it's way to my forehead increased even more. I know he did _not _just snap at my girlfriend for caring. I was about to kill a nigga when Sam yelled.

"GOD! What the hell is your problem?! I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with you and you're being a fucking dick right now!"

"You don't know anything, Sam." He said quietly. I actually had to strain my ear to hear what he was saying.

Sam scoffed, "Why? 'Cause I'm some poor white trash that had to move in with her best friend because her mother's a drug addict who was unfit to take care of me? Is that why?" She asked harshly. I could hear the tremble in her voice.

"What?! NO!" Freddie protested, "You're blowing this way out of proportion!"

"What the hell are you talking about then?! What the hell--," she was cut off when Freddie suddenly blew up.

"I'm in love with you Sam!" he cried, I flinched at the sorrow in his voice. "I've been in love with you for_ so long_. Have you not noticed it?!" I heard him sniffle and Sam took in a huge breath of air.

"What.. Freddie I--," She was cut off again.

"NO! Listen to me, Sam." He interrupted her. "Do you know how much it hurts to hear you talk about how well _she_ treats you? _I_ wanna be the person who treats you so well and have you brag about it to your friends! Do you know how much it tears me a part to see you so happy with her, all smiles and giggles and wide eyed and loving, when I wanna be the reason why you're all of that?"

"Freddie."

"Do you know how much it _kills_ me to wish and pray that she'll mess up just so you'll leave her?" He asked in a voice full of shame. "She's a friggin' great person, Sam! While she's out there with you, making you happy, I lay in bed and wish that she'll break your heart and maybe then you'll come running to me for comfort. Even if that did happen, I can see how much you love her and she loves you. Even if _she_ messed up, you would never want to love again because she's all you'll ever want and see."

I couldn't take it anymore; his admission to being in love with her was so heart-wrenching. I could've walked right in there and punched the shit out of him for being stupid enough to fall in love with my girlfriend, but I didn't. I realized that this was between the two of them. I wasn't even supposed to be where I was, listening to this conversation, so I backed away from the door and slowly made my way back down the stairs.

Fortunately, Spencer was somewhere else in the house so I took the chance to slip out unnoticed.

--

I decided to go across the street to the Groovie Smoothie, just to clear my head. This was too much to wrap my already complicated brain cells around.

Freddie.

Freddie was in love.

With my girlfriend.

Fucking shit, that really threw me off course. I always had my suspicions since he always had the look of jealousy on his face when Sam and I were together, but I didn't think he was in love! With Sam of all people?!

God, what is wrong with him? She verbally, mentally, and physically abuses him, yet he somehow fell in love with her? That little nigga is crazy.

I was so deep in thought I nearly choked on the Razz-Ma-Tazz smoothie I don't even remember ordering when my phone rang.

I got a few looks from the customers sitting around my table, but ignored them and answered my phone.

I coughed a few times, "'Lo?"

"_Hey_," Sam's voice greeted me a little strained.

"'Sup?" I asked as nonchalantly as possible.

She sniffled quietly, "_Where are you?_" she asked.

"At the Groovie Smoothie," I answered. "Want anything?" I asked right after.

"_I uhh.. Want you._" she said inaudibly.

I frowned, "Huh?"

I could hear her clear her throat. "_Nothing_." She stated firmly. It got all quiet for a minute on my side of the line when I heard Spencer's voice in the background . "_Spence said you were here earlier._"

I made a grunting sound, "I got thirsty and craved something fruity." I not exactly lied. I really was craving a fruity beverage, but the craving was more towards an alcoholic fruity beverage. Well less fruity, and more alcoholic.

It was quiet again. "_You're lying_." she simply stated.

"Am not!" I protested.

She scoffed, "_Are too!_" she said defiantly. "_You'd never leave to a food joint without asking me if I wanted to go with you, especially if you were already here._" I stayed quiet. "_You heard that conversation between Freddie and me, huh?_"

Damn it, she got me there. "I don't always have to ask you if you wanna go with me." I said through clenched jaws. Fuck, why am I acting like this?

"_Why are you being such a jerk?_" she asked, her voice raising slightly. "_I need you to understand and be that girlfriend that you've always been. Not some insecure low self esteemed one!_"

I sighed, "I don't wanna talk bout this on the phone."

"_Me neither._" she agreed.

"Come down here then." I requested.

"_What?_" she asked in a confused and surprised tone.

"Come here to the Groovie Smoothie," I explained, "I'll buy you some food."

"_Seriously? You're bribing me with food?_" she asked incredulously. I grunted in affirmation. "_Fine, I'll be there in a little._" she said in a defeated tone.

I smiled, "K, love you."

"_Love you too._" she said before hanging up.

--

"Where's the food?" Sam asked as soon as she stepped foot into the store.

I rolled my eyes, "Well hello to you too Sweetie." I said sarcastically.

Sam rolled her eyes too, "Oh shut up, we were on the phone a minute ago." She plopped down on the seat next to me and gave me a peck on the lips.

I smiled at her and returned the kiss, "So what you wanna eat?"

As soon as the sentence left my mouth, T-Bo popped up out of no where holding onto his stick of bagels. "Ya hungry? Wanna bagel?" He popped the stick up, making the bagels jump up and down.

I frowned, "Seriously, Teebs?" I asked using the nickname I made up for him, "You've asked me _every __single time_ that I'm in here, and I always say... no." I said, shaking my head while dragging the o's along.

"Well jeez, can't a man make some money on food without your lil' short butt bringing me down?" He asked offended, "And why does everyone always say no to me? There ain't nothin' wrong with bagels. Just cuz they have huge holes in the middle don't mean nothin'. Donuts have huge holes in the middle, too! I don't see anyone passin' those up when they're walkin' past a donut shop." He rambled on and on.

I growled, "Aight! Aight! I get it." I stated firmly, throwing my hands up in the air. "I'll buy the whole damn stick."

"Really?" He asked in surprise. I ignored the look Sam gave me, and stared at T-Bo. "Okay, okay. That'll be...," he paused to count the amount of bagels on the stick. "ten dollars since you're the homie."

"Ten dollars? That's how much you offered me last time! How's that a homie discount?" I exclaimed.

He rolled his eyes. "The price went up a dollar since the last time!" he explained. "I'm givin' you a dollar off. How is that _not_ a discount?" he challenged.

"How 'bout I _don't_ buy it, _any_ of it?" I challenged back.

His eyes went wide, "Naww, Shorty. Naww." He quickly shook his head, "I was just kiddin'! For you, nine fifty."

I just laughed and shook my head. Wow, fifty cents off of the ten dollar discount he first gave me. What a sweet heart. "Fine whatever cuhz," I stated. I pulled a twenty out of my wallet and handed it to him. "Keep the change."

He gave me a flabbergasted look switching his gaze from the money in his hand to me, "What?! We just argued over homie discounts, and you're giving me a twenty?! Why did you argue with me in the first place?"

I smiled a little mischievously, "Wanted to see how desperate you got."

He glared at me before shoving the stick of bagels into my face, "You're a jerk."

"I know." I said with a cocky grin and a nod of the head. T-Bo muttered incoherent sentences under his breath as he walked away from our table. I turned my attention to Sam. "So, you want a bagel?" I asked with a goofy smile on my face.

She shook her head, "No, not really." The smile fell from my face.

My eyebrows furrowed, "Then what the hell am I gon' do with all these bagels?!" I asked.

"I don't know," She shrugged, "that's your problem." I just sat there and stared at her. "So about the food you promised me... I'm kind of craving steak." She simply stated. My shoulders slumped. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Just give the bagels to Henry."

"Henry?" I asked. She nodded her head. "Henry the hobo?" She nodded her head again. "Hell no! Last time I gave him the other half of my sub from "The Way I Like my Sub" he threw it at my back. I had the smell of ranch and mustard in my hair for days. Imagine giving him bagels... that's like a suicide mission." I explained with wide eyes.

"Oh please, that dude loves bagels. He tells me all the time." Sam waved off my statement.

"No, he likes _your_ bagels." I said seriously.

"My bage... EW! AMANDA!" Sam exclaimed slapping me on the arm. "That's disgusting." I laughed.

"What?! I meant he likes the bagels you give him!"

"I've never given him bagels before though!"

"Wow... he really does love your bagels then." I said with a laugh. She just glared at me and stood up, grabbing my hand as she did so. I followed her lead and let her guide us towards the door. As we were about to walk out, a family of five walked into the store. "Here you go!" I exclaimed, shoving the stick of bagels into the father's arms, "Merry Christmas." I smiled when he gave me a surprised face, and Sam laughed as she pulled me out of the building. "Those are delicious toasted and with cream cheese!" I called out just as the door was about to shut all the way.

--

Half an hour later found us sitting at a booth, facing each other, way in the back of Outback Steakhouse. The car ride was quiet except for the chuckles that would escape our lips as the images from what happened earlier popped into our head.

After we got settled and the food came, the conversation started.

"So... what happened?" I asked after swallowing a piece of juicy, medium rare steak.

"I don't know, honestly." she started. "We were just upstairs talking about iCarly stuff, then somehow that drifted to my birthday party, and eventually we started talking about you." She shoveled a forkful of mashed potatoes into her mouth.

I sat there silently and just watched on as she devoured the rib eye steak, garlic mashed potatoes, and sweet potato fries. How could she be sitting there, shoveling food into her face, and explain something so epic in a normal tone while I'm secretly freaking out on the inside? She never ceases to amaze me.

"There was only talkin' right?" I asked seriously.

"Yeah sure.. talking." she responded, using a fry as a stirrer and dipping it into the mashed potatoes.

"Babe, look at me." I demanded her. She looked up for a quick second, locking eyes with mine, before messing with the mashed potatoes again. "How did it end?" I asked quietly. There must have been a reason for her being all quiet and nonchalant.

She paused for a moment, a quick moment, like if I was to blink I would have missed the hesitance in her movement. She stuck a fry in her mouth and I waited until she answered. She cleared her throat. "He uhmm.." she trailed off. Her eyes shot up to mine and when she saw the frown on my face she dropped her gaze. "He tried to make a move on me." she whispered.

On its own accord, my hands balled into fists, grasping the fork and knife tightly, and banged loudly on the table. "HE WHAT?!" I bellowed.

--

My grip on the steering wheel was so hard, my knuckles were turning white and my hands were starting to hurt. I kept my eyes on the road, jaws clenched, and ignored the worried looks that Sam would often throw my way.

As I got closer to the Bushwell Plaza, the anger in me started to boil. He was up there, in the apartment across from Carly's and I could kick his ass right now. But I wasn't going to. I pulled over towards the curb and put my car in park.

"You're not coming up?" Sam asked in a defeated tone. I shook my head. "Where are you going then?"

"Home." I choked out. The anger was really getting to me now. I mean, he didn't exactly do anything to her. From what she told me anyway, but still. Just the fact that he _tried_ to do something got me so fucking pissed off. Doesn't he know how dangerous I can get when it comes to the things and people I love and cherish the most in my life?!

"I don't want you to be by yourself right now." She sighed. I stayed quiet. "I wanna go with you, too. I wanna be with you right now."

I grunted, "I won't be by myself. J.D'll be with me." I reached over to my glove compartment, opened it up, and pulled out my flask.

Sam snatched the cool metal flask from my hand as I was pulling it to me and growled, "What? No! Are you stupid? I'm going with you, and that's final." She stated determinedly, crossing her arms over her chest, effectively hiding the alcohol as she did so.

"No." I shook my head. "No. you can't be around me right now. You know how fuckin' angry I get when it comes to people tryna get at you. I can't control myself and have this urge to hurt something, someone. I can't have you around me when I'm like this. You gotta go." I practically pleaded with her. "Now, _please_." I could feel tears of anger start to pool around my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

When I blinked and a tear drop fell, I lost control and started punching my steering wheel, grabbing onto it and shaking myself. After a while I felt small, but strong, hands latch onto my wrists. No matter how hard I tried to pull my wrists away from her grasp, she wouldn't let go.

The next thing I knew she was straddling my thighs in the drivers seat and had my hands behind my head. I stopped my movements quickly when I felt her lips on mine. After the shock wore off, I moved my lips against hers and soon enough we were in a huge tongue wrestling session. We only broke a part to inhale deep breaths of air, but even then it was only for a quick second.

"Maybe... we should... go to... your place." She started kissing along my jawline and down my neck.

I gasped when her tongue glided across my pulse point. "Ar-are you sure?" I stuttered. "Fuck..." I hissed when she nipped at my ear lobe and tugged it playfully. "I d-don't want our f-first time to be because I'm-"

She ground her center into mine, hard. "I've never been more sure in my life." she said seductively, licking the length of my outer ear.

"O-okay." I squeaked out, gently pushing Sam off of me. When she got back into her seat and buckled her seat belt I took in deep breaths of air and tried to calm my nerves. The breathing was kind of hitched and shaky. I cleared my throat, "So uh...," I trailed off unsure.

She placed her hand on my inner thigh and squeezed lightly. That move alone caused me to grip my steering wheel tightly and bite my bottom lip. "Your house. Now." She gave me another squeeze, harder this time, and ran her fingernails across my thigh as she pulled her hand back.

"I.. uhh...," I gulped when I saw her lick her lips seductively from the corner of my eye. "Okay." I finally took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Okay."

--

This isn't really how I imagined our first time making love would come up. I always thought I'd bring her somewhere romantic, whisper sweet nothings in her ear, and we'd kiss passionately before things progressed.

We've always been close to doing it, but never reached that point. It was always me being drunk, her being high, or the both of us way out of it, but somehow when it got too far one of us would stop the other and we'd just pass out. On the few occasions that we were both sober, I'd stop myself because I always thought she wasn't ready.

Let me just tell you, I've had to take _a lot_ of cold showers this year. A LOT. If that didn't work then I'd either go into my garage and take out all of my frustrations on the heavy punching bag I have hanging from the ceiling; the poor thing has duct tape wrapped all around it, or go for a very long jog.

But like I was saying, I never thought we'd end up making out heavily on my couch, feeling up on each other. I didn't think I'd ever pull her shirt over her head roughly and massage her breasts through her bra all the while attacking her neck. I wanted to mark her so bad but I didn't because the last time I did something that stupid she nearly smacked all the working cells I had in my brain out.

I felt her tug at the bottom of my shirt and pulled away from the assault I had on her throat so she could pull it over my head. I gasped when her small, soft hands grasped onto my breasts. She also took that moment to shove her tongue down my throat. I moaned.

God this feels so amazing. How the hell did I hold out from doing this for so long? Especially with Sam.

I positioned myself so that Sam was laying down on my couch and I was in between her legs. She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulled me down, and kissed me with so much need I automatically gyrated our centers together. The wetness seeping through our underwear and the roughness of our jeans made the friction unbearably pleasurable. I weighed my upper body on my hands, one on each side of her head, and started thrusting our centers together. I must have been hitting the right spot each time because Sam would moan and whimper every time our centers made contact.

"I-I need you." She gasped out after clawing my back roughly with her fingernails. I nodded and slowly started a journey of kisses down her body. I kissed along her jaw, down to her throat and nipped lightly at the exposed flesh as she dropped her head back onto the arm rest and tilted it to the side. I licked the smooth and salty skin above her bra and slightly peeked my tongue into the offending barrier, getting a throaty moan in response. Kissing down the valley between her breasts I set a trail of wet butterfly kisses down her toned stomach and dipped my tongue into her belly button. "Oh god..." she whimpered.

I smirked as my hands followed my lips lead and left trails of feather light touches as my fingertips barely grazed down her ribs and over her stomach, stopping just above the waistband of her jeans. I stared up into her half lidded eyes as I popped her button out of its restraint and gently tugged her faded blue jeans down her lovely legs. As her hips were exposed I kissed and bit at each side. As more of her milky skin was revealed, I left a kiss here and there as I kissed more and more south. When I reached the end of her legs, I pulled the tight jeans away and tossed it aside. Before I made my way back up again, I kissed the inside of her ankles.

Crawling up the length of her body, I kissed her again before traveling down,. This time though, I used my teeth to drag her soaked, white cotton panties down her legs. I could smell her. Oh my god, did I smell her. Fucking amazing. "Oh my fuckin' god, babe...," I whispered against her center. "You smell so fuckin' good." I growled before taking a lick. We both moaned at the same time.

I licked again and felt her hips buck up, smashing her center into my face. Slowly, I licked one more time before she got impatient and tangled her fingers into hair. "Baby, please..." she whimpered. I nodded my head before latching onto her clit and sucking hard. "FUCK!" she screamed, pushing my face even deeper into her. I loosened my mouth and stuck my tongue out to flick at her nub of nerves skillfully. Her hips buckled up and off of sofa into my face, coating my chin with her sex. "Oh.. oh... baby... god!" she whimpered.

I paused what I was doing and pulled back to look into her eyes. She was breathing heavily and looked like she was in heaven. "You okay honey?" I asked curiously. Her eyes snapped open when she finally realized I had stopped.

"DON'T STOP!" She exclaimed, pushing my head back down so that it was leveled with her center again. I hummed my laughter against her pussy, and her back arched off of the sofa. "YESSSSS." she hissed. I smiled. I guess I found a way to set her off.

With the tip of my tongue, I spelled the letter "I" on her clit, followed by a heart, and then the letter "U". When I finished I pulled away fully and crawled back up her body.

"Hey! Why did yo-" I cut her off when I licked her on the lips. "Mmhmm," she hummed when she willingly opened her mouth and I slipped my tongue inside her parted lips. I groaned when she sucked on my tongue and felt a sharp jolt find it its way to my own center.

I supported my upper body on my right arm and snaked my left arm in between our bodies, slowly creeping down towards her pussy. My fingertip grazed her folds and I felt her shiver in anticipation. I teased her clit with my fingernail and watched as her eyes fluttered shut. "You ready?" I asked carefully. I mean, I know I just ..you know.. ate her out, but this is like my fingers we're talking about.

She nodded her head shakily.

"I love you." I stated with lust, love, and desire in my voice. Her eyes opened slightly and locked onto mine. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me down until our lips were grazing each other.

"I love you, too." she whispered before closing the small, nearly nonexistent, gap between us.

I took that as the a-okay and slowly slid my left index finger into her. "Shh, it's okay babe." I said quietly into her ear when she broke the kiss and clung onto me, burying her face into my shoulder. "Just relax." I waited until she loosened her grip on my shoulders before wiggling my finger a bit. "Relax." I whispered when I felt her tense up again. "Good... good." I said when she relaxed. I started pumping my finger in and out of her slow and steady. "Now just enjoy." My lips found its way back to hers and kissed her bottom lip. I sucked it in between mine, biting it softly, then tugged it playfully.

"F-faster." she breathed out. I complied and sped up my penetration just slightly. "Fast...er." she moaned. Again, I sped up. The way her breathing came out in short pants informed me that she was close, so I slowed down. I wanted to keep her from coming as long as possible, something that Sam didn't approve of. "Ugh!" she groaned out in frustration.

"Just chill." I whispered against her neck, licking at it. "I want this to last." Then I started kissing and sucking at the dip in her shoulder. "I love you so much." I sucked even harder while keeping up the slow penetration. I totally forgot about not marking her; I was too into what I was doing to care if I got bodily injured the next day.

I felt the vibrations from her throat and she let out a guttural moan. When I was done marking her, I kissed up her throat and pulled my finger out of her completely. I watched and waited until Sam opened her eyes. She was going to protest, again, I just knew it, but I had a surprise for her. "Wha-," I cut her off by sealing her lips with mine and added my middle finger to the first and pushed it into her sopping wet center. "Oh GOD!" she screamed into my mouth. That was all she managed to get out as I pumped into her fast, hard, and rough. "Oh god... oh god... oh god..." Within a minute, she was shaking uncontrollably, arching her back off of the sofa and holding her body flush against mine. I sat up, wrapped my free arm around her tiny waist, and felt her tighten up against my fingers. "OH GOD!!!" She screamed out so loud I bet the neighbors knew what was going on in my house. She threw her head back, curved her bra covered breasts into mine, and shook violently as her orgasm took over. I stopped the pumping of my hand but left my fingers in there and wiggled it inside of her as she came, helping her orgasm last longer.

When she finally relaxed and hugged onto me, I pulled out of her and brought my fingers to my lips and sucked it clean. God, I could get used to this on a daily basis. Fuck that, an hourly basis. I felt her let out a huge breath of air against my neck and pulled back. There was locks of hair plastered to her sweaty forehead and cheeks so I brushed those aside and tucked them behind her ears.

When our eyes locked, I gave her a smile and she returned a dazed one in response. We kissed and hugged. "You okay?" I asked softly into her ear.

She nodded her head and giggled. "I've never felt more alive in my life!" Feeling her breath hit my ear caused the arousal to form again.

"That's good." I chuckled, and hugged her closer to me.

She sighed again, "God, I love you."

"I'm not God, but I love you, too."

She laughed and tugged on a lock of my hair. "You know what I meant!" I just nodded my head. We sat there in silence for a while, I was leaning against the back of the couch and she was straddling my thighs, our heart beats slowing down together, before she broke the silence. "So I think it's my turn to return the favor." She whispered seductively in my ear. I shivered in anticipation.

"Bedroom?" I asked breathlessly.

She pulled back and looked at me with a hint of mischief in her eyes. "No," she shook her head. "The kitchen."

"The kitchen?" I questioned as if another head had just popped out of her shoulder.

"I wanna eat my fish in there." She waggled her eyebrows playfully.

I frowned, "Fish? We have fish in... OOOH!" I finally understood what she was talking about. "_Fish._" I laughed embarrassingly when Sam shook her head at my slowness. "Let's go then." I growled out before making sure my arms were securely under her thighs and standing up. Her legs easily wrapped themselves around my hips and locked at the ankles.

"Wait." Sam said suddenly.

"Huh?" I asked confused.

She looked in between us pointed. "This is so not fair. You gotta get naked, too." she said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes and reached under her ass to unbutton my jeans and unzipped them. It fell into a pile around my legs. I felt her grind her center even more into my stomach and raised an eyebrow at her. "Your thumb." she stated as if that was obvious. I wiggled my thumb and realized that the tip was grazing her clit. I grinned mischievously. "NO FAIR!" Sam yelled when she realized what I was up to. She rocked her body back and forth, trying to keep my thumb away from the nub, but that did things to me. Every time she would rock into me her center would coat my stomach with her cum.

"You shouldn't do that."

"Why not?" she asked curiously as she rocked into me again. My knees buckled underneath me and I fell back onto the couch.

I grunted, "We'll never make it to the kitchen... or the bedroom."

She smirked. "We could always go in there later." she said in a seductive tone, pushing me on my shoulders and making me lay down. She laid out on top of me and straddled one of my thighs, nestling one of hers in between my legs. "Now it's your turn to enjoy."

She licked her lips and pressed her thigh against my center roughly. I exhaled in pleasure. "Enjoy I will."

**A/N: HAHA! How was that? Was that satisfying? I feel like I rushed the part in the car though, since Shorty was so angry... but then having a hot girlfriend kissing you would calm anyone down, right? Haha. I hope you liked it! Review, please =)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone you recognize.**

**A/N: man... I really tried to get this out before or during October 1st, but I was uh... busy =D I have a good excuse though... I met Emily fucking Osment on October 1st damn it! Haha =) god.. she's so beautiful. *sigh. What happened in this story is how I wished my meeting with Emily would have gone. Haha. Let's just say I got stuck when it was my turn to meet her =( Anyway! On to the chapter. Happy Reading.**

**Chapter 22**

"Honey?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you sleeping?"

I moaned and shifted until I was on my side facing Sam. "No." I sighed sleepily. "I'm wi' wake." My voice was heavy with sleep as I cracked my eyes just the slightest and looked at her through my eyelashes. "W'sup?"

"Never mind. Go back to sleep." Sam said through a smile. It took me awhile to process what she said, but when I did I shook my head clumsily.

"Whass on yer mind?" I slurred since I was sleepy as hell. Somehow, I managed to drape an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to me until her head was tucked under my chin.

"Do you ever think of the future?" she asked quietly, playing with the hem on the bottom of my shirt. When I didn't answer right away, she sighed and pulled away from me to lay on her back. Little did she know I was taking that time to actually think of my future. It was a couple of minutes of silence, before I answered.

"The future?" I grumbled. The sudden break in the silence made her jump back to attention. She turned on her side to face me and nodded. "Wha' 'bout it?" I asked through a yawn.

Sam sighed and placed a hand on my cheek, caressing it softly. "Where do you see yourself in the future? With who? Kids? Home?" she fired all these questions all at once a little hesitant.

I cleared my throat and shook the sleep off. "Honestly, I can't even picture myself a couple days from tonight. I don't know what the future holds for me, but I'm really hopin' you're gonna be in it." I admitted. "Whether as a friend, lover... mother of my kids, I just want you in my life forever." I saw her eyes glaze over as she blinked from the glowing alarm clock on my nightstand. "What about you? What do you see when you think of the future?" I asked curiously.

"You know how people always say you'll turn out like your parents?" I nodded my head. "I honestly thought I'd end up like my mom." she confessed as if it was eating her up inside. "I never thought I'd have the life I do now with all these great people in my life and such a wonderful girlfriend."

"Really? Who?" I asked in my half awakened state.

Sam laughed, "You, slopid."

"Who's you?"

"_You_."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you."

"You who?"

"Oh my god. YOU. Damn it!" Sam said, getting frustrated. "You as in Amanda Khem a.k.a Shorty."

"I know, babe! Don't have to get all rawrish on me." I said with a happy face, sort of finally awake now. I smiled as she laid there with her mouth agape. "You should shut your trap before a fly goes in there." I warned. She closed her mouth with a click.

"You're such a jerk!" Sam exclaimed pinching my side. I jerked at the pain and made a face.

"Ow. Thanks, I know." I mumbled covering the stinging pain with a hand. She laughed. "Naw, but seriously babe." I started, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her until she was half laying on me. "You are _nothin'_ like your mom. Nothin'. Don't even think of puttin' yourself in the same category as her." I warned.

"But-"

"No buts." I cut her off sternly. "You're your own person. Your parents don't make you who you are. Yeah, sure they've had a big impact on your life, but it's what you do with what you've learned from them to make you... you."

Sam chuckled lightly. "You talking from personal experience here?"

I smirked and nodded, "Yeah."

"You know, you don't really talk about your parents much." she pointed out. "I don't even think I've met your parents, let alone know how they look like." Oh god. She was curious now. Fuck.

I shrugged. "You've met them."

A look of surprise graced her features. "I have?" I nodded. "When?!" she asked flabbergasted.

"Nelly's seventh birthday party a while back." I responded. She just gave me a look. "They were the ones staring at you like crazy, and you got all freaked out. I think one of them even cornered you and interrogated you, but you didn't know what they were saying 'cuz they were speaking broken Khm-Glish."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Khm-Glish? What the hell is that!"

"Khmer and English smashed together." I answered in a duh tone.

"Right."

"Uh huh."

We looked at each other and started laughing.

"Is he the guy with the hair.. and the eyes.. and the mouth?" Sam asked, pursing her lips together to keep from laughing.

"Yeah honey, you described him so well!" We shared a laugh again, but it was quiet when the laughter subsided.

"Honey?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell me about your childhood."

Memories from my happiest years flashed into my head. I smiled sadly at the memories. "My childhood." It wasn't a question, but Sam nodded her head anyway and stayed quiet, waiting for me to continue. "My childhood was the best. I fuckin' loved it. It mainly consisted of me and Kevin. We were inseparable, attached at the hips. You wouldn't see me without him, and even if you did he'd be a few steps behind. I always slept over at his house on the weekends, always. The adults always joked and said that we were gonna end up married to each other."

I laughed when Sam exclaimed, "Ewww!"

"I know, right? Cambodian parents are fuckin' weird!" I chuckled. "Anyway... my family, his family, and my other cousins and stuff, we'd go _everywhere_ together." I made sure I emphasized the everywhere. "When I say everywhere, I mean it, too. The beach, the park, amusement parks, parties... it was just a whole mob of Cambodian parents tryna tame their offsprings. You know how huge my family is too." she nodded her head quickly. "When there were parties the adults would be inside the house singin' karaoke, gamblin', drinkin', and eatin' while the teenagers and kids were outside playin' basketball, football, tag, cops and robbers, and doin' all kinds of crazy outdoor shit. Then durin' the summers I'd be here, in Seattle. My childhood was the shit." I finished off, cheesy with all the memories.

"And then?"

"And then what?"

"How did your life turn out the way it is now?"

"It was a great childhood, but it was hard, too. My family lived off of food stamps. As my brothers grew older and became adults, our supply was cut short." I started. "My trips to Seattle were cut when my dad got laid off and things just went downhill from there. They would always complain about money. Money this, money that. I was like thirteen or fourteen when this started happening, and that's when David came in the picture."

"David? I always thought you guys were good cousins?" Sam asked curiously. I shifted in the bed and sat up until my back was resting against the headboard.

"Naww. I mean, he was at the family gatherings and stuff, but we weren't as close as Kevin was to me." I explained. "He did his own thing while Kevin and I did ours. By the time we were close cousins he was already in the gang scene. He was listed as a gang member under gang file by the time he was twelve." Sam's jaw dropped. "Yeah, I know right? He had a better life than most of us. Stayed in the safer part of LB, I don't understand how he turned out the way he has."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

Sam sighed and rolled her eyes, "Can you stop answering my questions with a question?!" she exasperated, slapping me on my thigh.

I frowned and rubbed the spot she hit, "Well can you be more specific with the questions?!"

"FINE!" Sam sighed, throwing her arms in the air. "Why and how did you get into.." she paused to gesture wildly with her arms, "all of that?"

"That's much better." I smiled. "Why? I don't even know. I was bored the first summer I didn't get to go to Seattle. I hadn't stayed in LB during the summer for a long time, so I didn't know what the hell to do, so I started hanging out with David. That's when the drinkin' came in to play. Soon enough I had my first rumble with a Mexican gang. Then eventually I got jumped into the gang."

"The selling of drugs?"

"My family needed money." I shrugged my shoulders. "Then I just started becoming greedy.. cuz c'mon, who doesn't love money? Want it? _Need _it? I found an easy way to make bank, and I took advantage of that fact. I got in trouble for it a few times, but I was a minor so I was let go with a warning... I was kept in juvie for a few weeks the second time around. And yea...." I explained.

"Wow." Sam breathed.

"I know, right?" I laughed. "I don't want that for my kids though." I said quietly. "I want them to have the awesomerest childhood I did, but don't want them to even come across the mistakes I made. Biggest mistake of my life was putting myself in danger for all the wrong reasons." I sighed.

Sam nuzzled her face into the crook of my neck and gave me a kiss on my throat. "At least you realized it before it was too late." she reasoned, trying to make me feel better.

"Thanks to you." I stated quietly after she pulled away from my neck. "I'm so glad I met you babe... I don't even know where I'd be now if you didn't crash into my life." She leaned her head in until our lips were barely brushing.

"I don't know where I'd be either." She whispered against my lips before kissing me fully.

"This is gonna sound cheesy," I said a little out of breath after she pulled away and laid her head on my shoulder, "but I think we were meant for each other."

"Me too," Sam sighed.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah... I love you."

"I love you, too."

-

I was in a peaceful slumber, wrapped in Sam's arms, when I heard consistent knocks at my door. I groaned and tried to tune the knocks out but couldn't since Sam practically shoved me out of her embrace.

"Someone's at the door." she grumbled, pushing me away from her.

I moaned unhappily and trudged out of bed, picking up my clothes off of the ground and slipping them on as I made my way towards the door. "What!?" I snapped as I swung the door wide open. I caught Kevin by surprise, since he was still knocking like crazy, and he knocked me on top of my head. "Bish." I sighed, totally not making my statement more angrier since I was sleeping while standing up.

"Shorty! Oh my god, SHORTY!" he yelled in my face, shaking me by my shoulders hard as hell.

I shoved him away by his chest, shook my head, and proceeded to slam my door in his face but he stuck his hand through the door as it was closing. The door bounced back open to reveal Kevin with a really pained expression on his face, cradling his forearm to his chest. "Fucktard. You use your foot, not your arm." I stated before turning around and making my way to my bed.

"Fuck you, asshole!" Kevin exclaimed, rubbing at the red mark on his forearm soothingly. "I came here to tell you some awesome news that would make you jump for joy, and this is what you do to me?!" he asked incredulously. I ignored him and got under the comforter, snuggling against Sam's naked body as soon as I did so.

"Make him stop talking!" Sam moaned against my ear. I complied and reached over to my nightstand. I picked up whatever my hands first touched and launched it at Kevin blindly.

"What the fuck!" he gasped. I picked my head up saw him clutching onto his shin, hopping up and down as he did so. "Why'd you throw your phone at me?!"

"Because you won't shut up!" Sam exclaimed, picking her head up off of my shoulder to glare at Kevin sleepily. He froze for a moment, only rubbing his shin, and frowned.

"Why are you guys so tired anyway? It's like two in the afternoon!" he exasperated.

"Because some of us had a busy night." I mumbled against Sam's forehead when she laid her head back on my shoulder.

Kevin gasped, "Did you two finally do it?!" he asked like a little kid. "Fina-fucking-lee!" he exclaimed. "I won't have to be your fucking punching bag anymore when she gets you all sexually frustrated." I opened my eyes slightly and saw him pumping his arm in the air.

The arm that was under Sam's body reached under her pillow and felt something hard. I grasped onto it and pulled it out. "Aye cuhz, what's this?" I asked holding it up so Kevin would see.

"Sam's phone." he answered. "Why?"

"This phone is gonna be lodged into your head if you don't shut the fuck up and get the hell outta my room!" I threatened, gripping onto the device until my knuckles turned white.

"Aren't people supposed to be _happy_ after they've had sex for the first time?" Kevin wondered out loud.

I growled, "_Kevin..._"

"Okay okay!" he surrendered. "I just wanted to tell you that your first wife is gonna be at the Mall-Mart tonight, promoting her debut album! Free concert and autograph signing!!" he exclaimed, probably hoping that I'd jump up and freak out.

"First wife?" Sam asked, lifting her head up to stare at him with a curious look.

Kevin nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yeah! EMILY OSMENT!" he shouted giving me an expectant look. I was still too tired to process anything.

"Oh. That's cool." I murmured, letting my head fall to the side and closing my eyes.

"You fuckin' suck! Seriously." Kevin mumbled. I heard his footsteps retreating then my door closed with a click.

"Who's Emily Osment?" Sam asked.

"She plays Lilly Truscott in Hannah Montana. She was in Spy Kids, too." I answered, "I'm like... in love with her and we're married but she doesn't really know it yet." I spoke in my half awake trance.

"Why aren't you jumping and shouting right now if you're so in love with her?" Sam asked, sitting up.

"Why should I be?" I opened my eyes and stared at Sam with confused eyes.

She looked at me with a "what the fuck" face. "You have a chance to meet her! Free concert and an autograph signing!" Sam exclaimed.

"Oh." It got all awkward for some reason and I started looking around my room. Sam shook her head and laid back down. Emily Osment... Mall-Mart... free concert... autograph session. My eyes went wide at the realization. OH MY FUCKING GOD! "Holy shit! I'm gonna meet Emily Osment!" I shouted causing Sam to jump and roll at the outburst. She fell off the bed, bringing the sheets with her, and stared at me indignantly. "BABE! I MIGHT GET TO MEET HER!!" I exclaimed. I jumped out of bed and ran out the door.

I ran across the hallway and barged right into Kevin's room, surprising him as I did so and began shaking him violently using his shoulders. "EMI-FUCKING-LEE!" I yelled in his face, the same way he did to mine, except I was wide awake now and Kevin looked shocked for his life. I pushed him away and ran back into my room just as Sam was getting up. I scooped her into my arms, bridal style, and kissed her happily.

"I take it you're excited?" she asked, after the kiss ended, with one raised eyebrow.

I nodded my head enthusiastically. "Are you fuckin' kiddin' me?! HELL MOTHER FUCKIN' YES!"

-

Later on that night, after the concert and autograph session, found the whole gang walking out of the garden center at the Mall-Mart in downtown Seattle. Everyone, Jonah, Rodney, Freddie, Carly, Kevin, and Sam except for me, was laughing like crazy. I had a dreamy, but embarrassed, look on my face. I sighed happily and clutched the hat that Emily Osment signed for me closer to my heart.

"She's so beautiful." I sighed.

"Oh my fuckin' god, Shorty!" Rodney exclaimed, laughing uncontrollably and wiping a lone tear drop from the corner of his eyes. "I can't believe you did that."

"She's so beautiful." They all laughed as one.

"Seriously, what made you do that?" Jonah asked. "Are you drunk or something?"

I shook my head, smiled dreamily, and sighed. "She's so beautiful." I breathed out. "Me and Emily are gonna get married one day, and we're gonna have ugly babies!" I said dreamily.

"Ugly babies?" Rodney asked through a chuckle. I nodded. "How do you figure?"

"Cute couples make ugly babies." Carly answered for me. "Ugly couples make cute babies."

Sam turned her attention to me. "What about our babies?" she asked curiously. I tilted my head to the side and gave her a grin.

"We're gonna have ugly babies, too, baby!" I said.

She cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms across her chest. "Is that so?"

I nodded my head excitedly. "Don't worry honey, they'll turn out to be beautiful... like me!" I said happily, jamming my thumbs at myself.

"HA!" Kevin scoffed.

"Shut up nigga! Your babies are gonna grow up to look dark and ugly like you!"

"Shut up cuh! I was a cute baby." Kevin defended with an offended look on his face.

"Exactly! I rest my case."

"You was a cute baby, too!" He pointed out.

"I was an exception and turned out to be a beautiful butterfly." I stated in a matter of fact tone.

"More like a moth." Kevin said lowly, but I still heard him. I was about to respond when I was cut off by Jonah.

"I swear, if you guys weren't cousins, I would've thought you guys liked each other or something." he joked.

Kevin and I glared at him at the same time then locked eyes and shared an evil look. "Shut up you ol' chia pet lookin' ass." I started.

Kevin joined in. "Your head is weirder than Freddie's."

"Sam should put you in another wedgie bounce."

"Wedgie bounce?!" Kevin exclaimed.

"Oh my buddha," I placed my right hand over my heart and feigned shock. "I didn't tell you?!"

Kevin shook his head vigorously."No, nigga. Tell me now!" he demanded.

"Guys, guys, GUYS! Can you stop acting like little valley girls?!" Carly interrupted. Kevin and I shared another glare and look. Sensing what was about to happen she protested. "Oh my god, please no! I was just kidding." she begged. Everyone laughed and started our journey over the expanse of the Mall-Mart parking lot since we parked all the way at the other side.

When we were almost to our cars, my thoughts drifted back to the incident with Emily. I took my hat off of my head and stared at the purple bill, where she signed her autograph. "She's so beautiful." I sighed, causing everyone to moan and shake their heads since they knew how spaced out I was gonna get.

"Did you see the look on Emily's face when she proposed?!" Kevin asked.

Sam laughed and joked along also. "Hell yeah! But what really did it for me was when she pulled that ring out of her pocket... the one she got for twenty-five cents at the vending machines? Emily looked so shocked." Again they all started laughing at me.

"... she's so beautiful."

"She accepted it though," Freddie pointed out. "Watch out Sam, you have some competition." He joked. Hearing his voice somewhat got me a little sobered up, but I was still in awe at how beautiful Emily looked in person.

"Ha... yeah. I know." If I wasn't her girlfriend and didn't know her very well, I would have thought she was just joking. Since I was and I do, I knew something was bothering her. I quickly snapped out of my dreamy-like trance and focused all of my attention on her. I walked up behind her, placed my hat on my head as I did so, and wrapped my arms around Sam. I rested my chin on her shoulder and nuzzled my nose in her hair, moving it out of the way so I could speak into her ear.

"You're the only girl for me, honey." I said softly. "Even if I did have a chance with her, I'd only have eyes for you." Everyone stopped walking, since Sam stood in place as I embraced her from behind, and watched the scene unfold.

"Yeah right." Sam said insecurely.

"She can be beautiful, rich, and famous... but she wouldn't be Sam Puckett." I whispered. I kissed that little spot right below her ear, the one that made her weak in the knees, and held on to her tighter when I felt her weight buckle. "I got you babe. Always." I promised.

"Always?" she asked. She turned in my arms, wrapped hers around my neck, and looked me straight in the eye.

"And forever." I assured her. I could still see the uncertainty in her eyes. I sighed and knocked our foreheads together gently. From my peripheral vision I saw flashes go off but ignored it; all of my attention was on Sam and her blue-gray eyes. "What do I gotta do to make you believe me, Sam?" I asked seriously. "I got out of the gang bangin' deal. I stopped sellin' drugs. I'm doin' better in school than I've ever done before. I got back into sports. I'm not even on probation no more cuz my P.O said I was changing for the better, and I still had another half a year to go. All these things, and they're all because of you."

She closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath. When she reopened her eyes, it was glazed over. "I'm just scared. I'm afraid of letting myself fall so deep in love, deeper than I already am, and you'll leave me." she confessed.

"I'll never leave you!" I exclaimed. I pulled away from her completely, making her arms fall to her sides in defeat. "NEVER!" I said as tears were threatening to break through the tear ducts. "If I was gonna leave you, I woulda done it already Sam." I sighed. "Don't you get it? You're the only girl that I've ever met that helped me change for the better. The only one that put up with my bullshit and stayed by my side even after all the fuckin' shit that's happened." I looked straight into her eyes and saw tears pooling around the edges. She blinked and they fell. I inhaled a deep breath and stepped back into her personal bubble. I cupped her cheeks with my hands and wiped the tears away with my thumbs. "I didn't wanna do this here, but it seems that I'll have to." I stated. A look of worry flashed through her eyes as more tears fell.

I exhaled, took a step back, reached into my pocket with the free hand, and knelt down on one knee. A round of collective gasps echoed all around us, followed by more flashing lights. "Samantha Jessica Puckett, you are the only woman I'd ever wanna spend the rest of my life with." I started. "You've changed me into a better person, the one I am today, and for that I can't even find the words to express my love for you. I've had a taste of perfection, and I don't want anything else." I slowly pulled the contents out and held it out in my hand. Everyone let out a chuckle when they saw that it was one of those vending machine items. "I know it's not much, but I swear it costs more than twenty-five cents." I said with a smile. Sam smiled, too, through her tears. "I spent nearly all of my life savings to get the right one for you."

"I love it." Sam said with a shaky breath.

I smiled and continued. "Now don't get me wrong... I know we're too young to get married, let alone be engaged, so I want you to think of this as a promise." I informed. "I promise to be in your life, and love you, for as long as you'll have me. I promise that if you keep me around, I'll buy you a real ring... a beautiful one that'll match your beauty. I promise to love you the way I do now, even though I know I'll love you even more as each day goes by. I promise you my life if you accept this... So, Sam Puckett, do you accept my promise to you?"

She nodded her head. "Yes! Oh my god, yes. I do. I accept." She threw her arms around my shoulders and pulled my face in until her stomach was suffocating me. I didn't mind though, I breathed in the scent that was so... Sam and wrapped my arms around her waist. I kept my arms around her tightly and stood up, lifting her into the air as I did so. I twirled us around a few times then stopped and gently lowered Sam until her feet touched the asphalt.

I stood back up and she threw her arms around my body, pulling me in close again and attached her lips to mine. We kissed for a few moments until loud cheering and applause broke us apart. We both looked around to see a huge crowd gathering around us. Our friends were standing in the front and cheering the loudest. We turned our attention back to each other and I reached out a hand for her left arm. I let my fingertips graze down the length of her arm and grasped her hand into mine. I brought up to my mouth for a kiss before sliding the plastic brown ring down her left ring finger.

It didn't even get past her first knuckle. I took it back out and tried her middle finger; same thing. I did this with the index and thumb but came up with the same results. I sighed in frustration and was seriously about to hunt down the company who made the ring to kill them. Sam giggled and held out her pinky to me. I took it in my hands and slid it down her finger. Perfect fit. I let out a breath of air I didn't even know I was holding in and smiled my trademark cheesy smile.

I linked our pinkies together and held our hands above our head, showing off the plastic ring, and turned us around as if we won a tag team championship match. We both laughed as the cheering and applause seemed to double in sound. Kevin, Carly, Jonah, Rodney, and Freddie all ran to us, giving us hugs, pats on the back, and words of support.

It was in that moment that I knew everything was going to work out. Guys like Freddie could confess his love to her and try to make a move on her, but I'll be the only person she'll want and need. Girls like Tasha and Tareen and Nikki and Tanya... and yeah, you get the point... girls like them will try to be what I want and need in a girl, but the only one I'll see, want, and need will be Sam.

I brought our linked pinkies down and pulled her into me, eliminating any space that should be there, until we were one, and stared deep into her eyes.

"I love you Samantha Jessica Puckett. Always and forever... plus a day. I promise."

She wrapped her arms around my neck and brought her face incredibly closer to mine. Our lips were touching, we were breathing in the same air, and our eyes were locked. "I love you, too, Amanda Khem." she said before our lips smashed against each others.

**A/N: AND WE'RE DONE! Cut and clear. Man, this was a wonderful story to write, but I think imma end it here. It makes me sad, but happy at the same time to see this story coming to its end. Thank you to each and everyone of you who read and reviewed this damn story. I know it's not what people are used to, so I really appreciate that fact that YOU gave it a chance, offered ideas on where to take it, and helped motivate me to continue. This is the first story that I posted on FF and it's gonna be the first multi-chaptered story I've finished. YES! HIGH FIVE. Thank you, once again. I love you all. ♥**

**but wait... I might be back with an epilogue. Just you wait. It might take a while, but keep your eyes peeled. Haha =D**


	23. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone you recognize. Not even that snazzy tie Spencer let Shorty borrow.**

**AN: Finally! It's here. Sorry for the wait(for those who waited anyway). Happy Reading.**

**Epilogue**

I paced around the loft of the Shay's apartment anxiously as I waited for my girlfriend to finish getting ready. The red, white, and black one's(Jordan's) I had on my feet thudded on the hardwood floor with each step I took. My pressed white dress shirt was tucked into black slacks with a black vest over it, unbuttoned, and a red tie hung around my neck, untied. That tie should have been tied already, but I was so nervous my hands wouldn't cooperate and fumbled pathetically each time I tried to swoop the bigger end into the hole. I gave up and made up my mind on asking Kevin or Spencer, hell, even Freddie to do it for me. That is, unless I stopped pacing so god damned much since I was annoying the hell out of them.

"Chill out, Shorty!" Kevin exclaimed from his seat on a stool at the breakfast bar. He wasn't even turned towards me, he was surfing the web looking at car parts. What a guy. "You act like this is your weddin' or somethin'." I stalked up behind him and gave the back of his head a slap.

Jonah came out of the Spencer's bathroom, combing the sides and front of his hair with his fingers. "Yeah, chill out Short Shit. You're wearing a whole in the floor." He stopped just outside of the door and stared at himself in the mirror that hung on the shelf to check his tie. "Look at you! Your tie isn't even done yet." He sighed and made his way to me.

Rodney came into the living room from the kitchen with a bottle of Peppy-Cola in his hand. "Don't worry so much. Tonight will be amazin'." He assured, handing me the bottle. I eagerly took it and tipped the bottle into my mouth, swallowing almost half the contents before handing it back to him.

I almost spit out the liquid in my mouth when Jonah grabbed onto the ends of the tie and pulled me closer to him. I managed to swallow whatever was left in my mouth and coughed in his face, some of the soda flew out of my mouth and landed in his eye and on his cheek. "Ugh! Gross Shorty!" He cried. He took a few steps away from me and used the royal blue handkerchief in his black suit pocket to wipe the dark liquids away. The guys laughed at his disgust and I chuckled under my breath. I could always count on the dumb asses to make me feel somewhat better.

"Spencer!" I called out to him when he came down the stairs, probably from Carly's room where the girls were getting ready. "Can you do this for me?" I followed and asked as he made his way to the kitchen, hands occupied with dirty cups. When he turned to look at me I picked up the ends of the tie and gestured them to him.

He nodded his head, "Yeah sure, Kiddo. Just let me wash and put these away first." I nodded my head and made my way back to the living room. I didn't want to scuff up my shoes, or the floor, so I decided to sit on the couch instead. I plopped in between a disgruntled looking Jonah and a bored looking Freddie as he idly flipped through the channels.

"So guys, are ya ready for tonight or what?" I asked in an attempt to calm my nerves. They both turned to look at me with one raised eye brow before looking away again.

"Are _you_ ready?" Kevin asked from his place at the counter. This time he was facing me and leaning back against counter. "You swear this is the day you're gonna lose your virginity and shit." He and the other guys laughed while I ducked my head to hide my blush. "_Oh my god_!" He hissed. "Are you... are you _blushing?!_" He slightly fell off of the stool momentarily but regained his composure. "You are, aren't you?!" He asked wide eyed as he held onto the edge of the counter for support. The guys all around us stopped what they were doing and stared at me, my face was probably as red as a tomato.

"Shut up." I said weakly, burying my face into my hands as my elbows dug into my thighs.

Everyone started laughing when Freddie came out of nowhere and said, "Remember to use protection." I glared at him but lost my resolve when he just laughed even more. I guess things between me and him were okay. He didn't do anything to make Sam uncomfortable or piss me off. It's only been about three weeks, but he's found himself a little girlfriend. Guess who? Guess who? That's right! TASHA JONES! Isn't that something? It's weird honestly, having the girl I used as a fuck toy being around all the time, but I guess shit happens. Sometimes Sam would be all uneasy when she's around, but I guess she's getting used to the idea of Freddie going out with a "slut", as she likes to refer to her.

"As your older brother, I'll give you a set for free," Rodney quipped. He stood up and opened his white jacket to reveal different types of condom boxes attached to the inside fabric. "Don't want you getting knocked up by Sam, do we?" he barked out a laughter and ducked and covered when I threw a remote at him.

"Suck my strap-on niggas!" I exclaimed.

"Don't you mean Sam's?" Jonah laughed. I buried my face deeper into my hands and shook my head. Fucking shit, I could usually take on all of them, but when they all gang up on me I'm done for.

"Alright guys," Spencer said as he walked into the living room as he dried his hands with a small light green towel. "Leave her alone," I had never been more grateful for an adult in my life. "Everyone gets nervous when they know they're gonna lose their V-Card." On second thought, this was the main reason I disliked adults with a passion: they never want to stop embarrassing kids.

I pouted and crossed my arms over my chest when Spencer lost his demeanor and started laughing along with the guys. "I thought you were cool, Spence." I huffed.

"Oh, I am," he said. "I'm ice cold." I scoffed and smiled before I could even stop it from forming on my face.

"Of course you are, cuz cool people just love to claim that they're ice cold." I laughed.

"That's how gangster's do it!" He said enthusiastically.

"Dude, you totally jocked that from me, gangster's and cool people don't do that." I shook my head with a chuckle.

"Yeah, whatever." he exasperated in a defeated tone. "C'mon let's get you all tidied up for your girlfriend. We want everything to be perfect for tonight, don't we?" He slipped one hand under both of the ends and pulled me up after he held both ends in a firm grasp. I followed him until he stopped in the middle of the kitchen, right in front of the sink. It was silent as he basically loomed in front of me while messing with the untied tie until he broken the silence. "So, are you really gonna go all the way?" he asked quietly so the other guys wouldn't hear. I nodded my head shakily. "You've never slept with anyone before?" His head tilted to the side and he looked me straight in the eyes.

"Honestly, I've slept with _a lot_ of people," I emphasized a lot before quickly adding, "not like I'm trying to sound all cool or pimpish or anythin', but I have." He nodded his head in understanding. "It's just... this time is different."

"You two have slept together already, haven't you?" He asked with curious eyes. I looked away and nodded my head. "Okay, then why are you so worried?" I shrugged. "Of course you know!" he pushed. "What's the dealio?" A laugh exhaled breathlessly with my scoff and I shook my head.

"I've never had a girl... uhhh... penetrate me before?" I asked/stated. I was so embarrassed! I had NEVER had this conversation with anyone before, but I can't help but talk to good ol' Spencer about it. His eyes went wide and I averted my gaze to the kitchen's floor, Spencer's yellow bunny slippers, the piece of olive that's moving, the what the fuck?! I pulled away from Spencer and choked because somehow he found his way... behind me. "What the hell? Why are you behind me?" I asked in confusion as I turned around and rubbed at my throat.

"I ugh... don't really know how to tie ties and you rather, somewhat, kinda shocked the daylights out of me." I looked down and there was just a _knot_ where the tie was supposed to be well, tied, and it was wrapped around my neck as if he spun it around my throat a few times without me even noticing.

"So much for getting prettied up," I sighed as I pulled the ends from his grasp and started undoing everything.

"I'm sorry! I ju-,"

"No, it's my fault. I usually don't talk to people about my sex lives." I frowned and crossed my eyes as I tried to look at where the tie was knotted.

"No, it's fine!" he assured. "I just don't understand."

"Understand what?" I gave up on the knot and Spencer's fingers replaced mine as he expertly undid the knot.

"I mean, you're stating that you've slept with many girls, but none of them have you know... taken a swipe at your V-card?" he asked with a bewildered look on his face.

I shook my head and pulled the tie from out of his grasp and began looping and tucking it in a pattern unconsciously as I thought over my words. "No... I uhh took a swipe at theirs and took it though." I laughed uneasily when his bewildered look got even more bewildered looking. "I wouldn't let anyone do that to me, not even my ex girlfriend who I dated for like a life time." I admitted.

Spencer hummed in understanding then just stared at me open mouthed. I got self-conscious and brought my hands to my face, wiping at imaginary stuff. When I didn't feel anything on my face I gave him a confused look. I brought a hand up to his face and lightly tapped his cheek with my fingers. "Huh?" He broke out of his trance and shook his head. "Oh! Sorry. I'm just amazed." he stated then pointed at the tie. I brought a hand up to the tie and to my surprise it was correctly tied. "You didn't even look at it or anything!" He gushed like a little kid.

"Okay, Spence. Chill out." I gave him a look and slowly backed away from him.

"But Shorty! It was so _awesome!_" He took a step towards me with out stretched arms and a look of amazement on his face.

"I know I am! Thanks!" I took a few more steps back.

"Why are you running away for?" he asked as he walked closer.

"You're scarin' me!" I exclaimed. "When you have that look on your face, you're up to no good."

"I just want a hug!!" he whined before he lunged at me. Caught up in the moment I didn't hear the elevator come down and the bell ding, so when I jumped away from Spencer's attack and turned around to run away I bumped straight into Sam as she walked out of the elevator.

It was like the first time we met all over again. As we fell down I twisted our bodies around so I would take the impact and she'd have a cushioned fall. _When I finally got my breathing back to normal, I opened my eyes and looked into the bluest eyes I've ever seen. It was filled with concern. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming my way." The shockingly blue eyed beauty said to me. "Are you alright?"_

"_Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine," I replied, still looking into her eyes, "are you okay?" _

"_Yeah, I'm fine," she said, looking away from my eyes._ I smiled brightly at our reenactment when she looked back at me with a huge smile on her face. "Don't ever let me go." She said softly, her smile slightly faltered and I saw the emotions swirling in her eyes, kind of like fear.

"Never." I whispered and meant it. Slowly, I leaned my head down while she lifted hers up and we met in the middle for a soft, but passionate, kiss. When we pulled away I tilted my forehead against hers and looked straight into her blue eyes that I loved so much. "I love you." I gave her a peck on the lips. "So." Another one. "So." And another before barely pulling away until our lips were grazing each others. "Much." I breathed out.

"I love you, too." She mumbled against my lips. To the right of us I saw a flash and pulled away from her and turned my head slightly. I smiled bashfully when I noticed everyone in a semi-circle surrounding us and Spencer had his professional looking camera pointed at me and Sam.

"Aww! You guys are SO cute!" Spencer gushed behind his camera and took picture after picture of us on the floor.

Sam wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me into her before she hid her face in the crook of my neck, away from the constant flashes. "Spencerrrrr!" she whined.

"What?!" he asked incredulously as he dropped the hand that held the camera down ungracefully, like a little kid. "This is what happens when Shorty refuses to give me a hug!" he smiled evilly before the flashes started again.

After a million more flashes Carly finally stepped in and saved us. "ENOUGH!" she exclaimed and Spencer listened right away. He dropped both of his hands to his sides and stood straight up, like how soldiers would do. "I want pictures with Kevin, and I'm pretty sure everyone else wants his or her picture taken to, so will you stop what you're doing and take pictures of other people?" she exasperated.

Spencer nodded his head and waited until Kevin's arm was around Carly's shoulders and her arms were wrapped around his back and stomach before taking a picture of them. I took that time to get off of the floor and help Sam up. What I saw amazed me.

She had on a light blue halter dress that hugged her chest and curves nicely before falling freely at her hips and ended just above her knees. The dress was simple, but looked great on her. The white heels she had on gave her another three inches, and she practically loomed over me. Her hair was in it's natural state, soft curls that fell freely around her shoulders and back. She had on a touch of foundation, a light blush, and light blue eye shadow. Over all, everything brought out the blue in her eyes and I was hypnotized by the beauty who stood in front of me. Man, she was so beautiful. I was lost in her beauty until, surprise surprise, another flash broke me out of my stupor.

I shook my head with a smile on my face and took a step towards her. "My god, you are the most beautifulest girl I have _ever_ laid eyes on." I sighed as I dragged a hand down her left arm and took her hand into mine. I picked her arm up and made her spin around slowly. The dress slightly flared as she did this and I pulled her into me when she made a complete turn. I wrapped my arms around her waist as she wrapped hers around my neck and we just stared into each other's eyes. "I feel like the luckiest person in the world wrapped up in such a boooful girl's arms." I sighed with a dreamy look in my eyes. Sam laughed and shook her head before I gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"ACK!" Jonah gagged. "Can you two be anymore sweeter? You two are gonna give me a mouthful of cavities damn it." He made a show of wincing and cupping his cheek.

"You know?!" Rodney jumped in. "You two are so cute, it's disgustin'." He then proceeded to shiver to make his point.

I laughed, along with everyone else, and shook my head. "You two are just jealous you'll have to be each other's dates tonight!" I stuck my tongue out at them and made a silly face.

"Oh yeah?" Rodney asked. I nodded my head. "At least me and him are matching!" he said triumphantly before as he threw an arm around Jonah's shoulders and pulled him in closer. They indeed matched, color wise at least. Rodney was in a standard black and white suit while Jonah was in a tuxedo.

I gave him a confused look before pulling away from Sam and looking down at myself then looking at Sam's outfit. My eyes widened when I realized we were indeed not matching. "Blue?! Honey, I thought we agreed on red?!"

"No, I said blue when you asked me. You were the one who was like 'ooh! I have new J's and I wanna rock them at prom'," she rolled her eyes and pushed me away. I groaned and slapped a hand on my face.

"Luckily I left my white and baby blue one's here last time," I sighed. I turned around to Spencer just as he was taking a picture of me for some odd reason and was blinded by the flash. I stood there for a moment as the blinding flash of light messed up my eyes and blinked. "Do you have a light blue tie, Spence?" I asked as I made weird eye movements and pinched the bridge of my nose. My vision was still blurry but I saw his big head move up and down. "Can I borrow it? And can someone get my shoes in Sam's room?" I asked to anyone who was willing to do it. "And can someone please tell me why that flash was so damn bright?!" I demanded when my vision still hadn't focus.

Someone wrapped their arm around me and guided me to the sofa. I dropped into the cushion cupped my face. Even behind my closed eyelids it was like light was blinding me. I felt warm, slender fingers wrap around my wrist and slowly forced both of my hands away from my face. "Sweetie, open your eyes slowly." I did what I was told and fluttered my eyes open. The light seemed to be even brighter and I squinted at the harshness of it all. When my eyes adjusted I immediately locked on to Sam's worried blue eyes and felt myself relax. "Are you okay now?" I kept my eyes on hers and nodded slightly.

"I'm so sorry," Spencer apologized as he handed a baby blue tie with yellow duckies on it. I took it from him and gave him a confused look, thinking he apologized for the immature tie. "The doctor's did say not to surprise you with flashes of light after you came home from the hospital," he explained. I made an O with my mouth and ducked my head.

That was fucking a year ago, and I'm still affected by that blow to the back of my head from David. Apparently he kicked me so hard some muscle or whatever that had something to do with my eyes ripped. Every time I stress out or have a huge headache, my eyes become all sensitive and every shade of light hurts my eyes. I forgot all about that since it's been months since my last 'attack' or whatever. I shook my head and sighed.

"It's fine, Spence. We both got caught up in the moment." I looked up at him with an assuring smile and he breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Here's your shoes cuhz," I turned to my right and Kevin stood there holding out my fresh out the box pair of J's. I thanked him and went about taking off my red, black, and white shoes then pulling on the other pair. Then I sat back up and took off the red tie I had around my neck before Sam took the baby blue tie from my hands. I gave her a quizzical look as she giggled at the design of the tie before she wrapped the tie around my neck and expertly tied it.

"Thanks," I said before I pushed my lips against hers. "You're a life saver."

"Your welcome. And hey! At least the flower thingy we got is yellow and it'll match the duckies!" she exclaimed happily.

"True that." I held out my fist for a knuckle touch and she laughed, shaking her head as she did so, and touched fists with mine.

"Alright people! Let's get some more pictures in before you guys leave." Spencer said all professional like. He started walking around the couples, and Jonah and Rodney, as we each pinned the 'flower thingy' to our suits/tuxedos and wrapped them around our dates wrists. Then we all posed as a group for a few poses then individual ones. All together the whole process took half an hour, and by that time the party bus we rented was already waiting for us down stairs. We all filed downstairs with our partners and had a pre-prom party in the bus.

-

By the time the prom was over, everyone was either dead tired and walked around like zombies, or full of energy that they were still buzzing around as they tried to get people to dance with them. I was dead tired. The prom was like a once in a lifetime sorta deal, even though I went to Jerika's prom, and I made sure I had a great night. It mostly consisted of me and Sam dancing through five songs straight before we'd take a breather for a song then danced some more.

"Oh my god, I am SO tired," Sam whined after we got back on the bus. I laughed and threw an arm around her shoulders before pulling her into me. She rested her head on my shoulder and wrapped an arm around my stomach. "I've never danced so much in my life." She continued on whining. I shook my head and with my free hand pulled her legs over my thighs. "That feels so good," she moaned when I took off her heels and massaged her feet. "Baby, you're so good with your hands." She whispered so low only I would hear it.

I laughed and shook my head "Like I don't already know that. I just hope you're ready for tonight... the night's still young and imma keep you up till the mornin'," I informed her. When I didn't get a response I pulled her away from me slightly and laughed quietly when I noticed she fell asleep. "So much for keepin' you up," I said to myself as I got situated in the love seat I shared with her and pulled her into me again. I looked around at everyone else in the bus and realized they were all dead to the world too. I just shook my head and laid it against the top of Sam's before I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me away.

-

"Captain of the girls Varsity basketball team, assistant coach for the girls volleyball team, and honor roll student with a GPA of 3.0... AMANDA 'SHORTY' KHEM!" I stepped on stage with a huge smile on my face and waved at the crowd before I took the necessary steps to Principal Franklin who had my diploma cover in his hands. I smiled a toothy smile at him before grabbing onto the edge of the cover with my left hand and shaking his hand with my right. We both posed in front of the camera, where a photographer was standing, and I gave him a huge gigantic bear hug after. "Congrats Miss Khem, I'm expecting great things from you in the future," he said into my ear before releasing me.

"You and me both Mr. Principal dude," I replied happily before I gave him a wink and walked the rest of the way off of the stage. Sam, Carly, Freddie, and Spencer was sitting directly where the stage stairs ended so I ran, jumped, and held myself up with my forearms on the edge of the wall that separated me from them to give Sam a quick kiss on the lips. "SHORTY! OFF OF THE WALL!" Principal Franklin yelled. I rolled my eyes as Sam did the same and gave her another kiss on the lips.

"I'm so proud of you," Sam whispered against my lips as Franklin introduced and called Kevin's name.

I smiled a huge smile, "I'm proud of me, too!" I brought the cover up to eye level and she beamed, "Look! I graduated!!" I exclaimed like a child.

Sam smiled even wider at my childlike behavior and cupped my cheeks in her hands, "Yes you did." She gave me a kiss on my nose and I crinkled it. "I love you."

"I love you, to -WHOA!" I was interrupted by Kevin as he yanked on my burgundy robe and pulled me off of the wall. "What the hell?!"

"My turn, nigga!" He stated.

"KHEM COUSINS! STEP AWAY FROM THE WALL!" Principal Franklin's voice wafted through the speakers loudly, but fell against unwilling to hear ears.

"Not with my girlfriend, darkness falls!"

"No nigga, with Freddie!" he said sarcastically, "Of course not with your girlfriend numb nutts, with MINE!" During our argument Tasha Jones was called and she stalked right in between us, shoving us out the way as she did so, and helped herself at the spot I was just at to give Freddie a kiss. "Hey! It was my turn!" Kevin protested.

"Too bad, so sad." Tasha gave him a fake sad face and drew imaginary tear drops on her face. I laughed. Soon enough Rodney Irving and Jonah Hamilton finished off our little circle of friends and our little crowd at the corner grew by two(duh).

"I SWEAR IF YOU TROUBLE MAKERS DON'T GET AWAY FROM THAT CORNER AND INTO YOUR SEATS I'LL SUSPEND YOUR GETTING OF THE DIPLOMA!" We all looked at each other all wide eyed before kissing and hugging our significant other before running to our respective seats. For some odd reason, ours were all the way in the back since they decided start off backwards with the names, hence the reason why Khem came before Jones, Irving, and Hamilton. "GOOD, NOW ON WITH THE PROGRAM."

-

As day turned into night and the ceremony slowly dwindled down, every student sitting in his/her seat on the football field was getting antsy. It took forever, but when Principal Franklin finally announced the sea of students as "Ridgeway's graduating class of 2008" we all stood up and my close circle of friends waited until everyone else threw their caps into the air and let it fall before we threw ours off our heads and into the air. That's how gangster's do it!

Anyway, I threw a graduation party at my house for those who didn't go to grad night, cuz you know grad night is a total rip off. I don't know about you, but I did not want to spend my graduation night at the local amusement park packed with every other school in the state. So not cracking.

This party was like my new years party but crazier, if that's even possible. I guess the fact that the house was empty made the party goers more... comfortable. If I hadn't have stored all my furniture in the garage then we would've had a problem.

No one at the party was sober. People were either drunk, high, thizzin', or all three combined. The only people who were close to sober was me and Sam. I was buzzed, at the most, and Sam was just chilling with a Bud Light in her hand. I took a couple shots of Patron and that was it for me. Tequila never settled well with my stomach and I didn't want to throw up at the party I was hosting.

When the house got to be too much for us Sam and I headed out to the front yard where a few other couples were sprinkled and mingled quietly to themselves. Leading the way, I laced my fingers through Sam's, and pulled her across the street where my car was parked. I hopped onto my trunk and pulled Sam in between my legs before I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and held her body close to me while she wrapped her arms around my back.

I nuzzled my face into her neck and inhaled deeply. "The past couple of months has been awesome, hasn't it?" I mumbled against her skin.

She nodded, "Very." She pulled back and gave me a kiss on the lips that seemed to linger longer than usual. When she pulled away I still had my lips puckered and tried to catch her lips again but her laughter broke me out of my daze.

"What was that for?" I asked breathlessly as I leaned into her touch when she caressed my cheeks with her knuckles.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Just the spur of the moment kinda thing." Even though I was smiling at her, I knew she was holding something back. It seemed as though she wanted to tell me something but held back from saying it. I think she knew it, too, because she turned around in my embrace and leaned back into my arms.

I wrapped my arms even tighter around her waist and nuzzled my nose in her hair. "Penny for your thoughts?" I asked as I exhaled.

"You've been so good to me, for me...," she trailed off. I stiffened up a bit.

"You bring out the best in me," I stated seriously.

She sighed and ignored me as she continued, "You've also given up a lot for me."

I gulped, "I'd give up my life for you, Sam."

"I know, and that's what scares me."

I frowned and pulled my arms from around her. What the hell is she getting at. "What are you getting at?"

"You need to start living for you, not for me," she said as she took a few steps away from me. I slid off of my trunk and stood there just staring at the back of her head.

"You're the reason for me living at all." I watched as she slid her fingers threw her hair. "What the hell's going on here?" I demanded to know. "Are you breakin' up with me or somethin'?" I asked with fear in my voice.

She turned around quickly and shook her head. "No! God no, I don't ever wanna lose you." She assured me.

"Then what's going on?" I sighed in relief. She eyed me cautiously, like she was afraid of saying whatever she wanted to say to me. "Just say it, tell me." I begged.

"I... You...," she clenched her eyes shut and groaned in frustration. She raked her fingers through her hair and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You've given up so much for me. Sacrificed so much. Almost got killed. You've given me so much, and I'll be damned if I keep you away from something that'll be good for you in the future." I was so confused. What the hell was she talking about? Doesn't she know that she _is_ my future?

"I don't get it," I said confused. "What have I given up? Gang bangin'? Slangin'? I don't know about you, but those are all bad shit that wouldn't've helped me in the future." I stated confused.

"I heard you talkin' to Coach earlier today in the gym," she sighed.

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh," she mocked me, "why would you even decline an offer like that?" she asked like I was crazy.

I shook my head, "Cuz I don't wanna be away from you! Don't you get it? If I take that offer and be away from you for a long period of time I'll go back to my old ways." I tried to reason. "Baby please, don't tell me to accept it." I begged. I knew if she told or even asked me to take the offer I would've taken it right then and there.

"Is that the only thing you're afraid of?" she eyed me intently. So intently that I felt my body go stiff. "After you left the gym I went up to Coach and asked him about any other offers you had and he told me you declined about two others. That's three altogether, Amanda!"

"And all three are away from you! I just told you, I can't be that far away from you!"

"Because you're afraid of someone swooping in and taking me away from you, huh? Because if you're away for too long I'll get lonely and find someone to keep me company?" she asked through clenched teeth. When I didn't say anything she scoffed. "Really, Shorty? You think I'm gonna give my heart out to someone other than you?"

"It's not like that!" I protested weakly even though she was spot on.

She shook her head, "It is and you know it. Full ride basketball scholarships, Shorty. _Three _of them offered to you and you rejected each one. Do you _want_ to be a baker the rest of your life?" I flinched when she asked that, because it's true. What other experience did I have besides selling drugs and beating people up? "I _love_ you, Amanda. With all of my heart. You are **not** gonna let this opportunity pass you by."

"Please, don't say it." I was basically crying now. I shook my head and reached out to her. She wrapped me up in her arms and brushed my tears away with the pads of her thumb. "I'll do it if you say it, but _please_ don't." I cried. "I'm fine with being a baker, hell someday that shop will be mine anyway." I tried to give her reasons.

She cupped my cheeks in her hands and pulled my face until our lips brushed together. "I love you," she said before giving me a kiss. "I love you," she stated again with another kiss. She knocked our foreheads together and looked me straight in the eyes. I could see her own blue orbs as it glistened under the street lamp with unshed tears. "Honey..." she trailed off.

I closed my eyes and shook my head.

"You're going and that's final. Understood?"

I dropped my head and cried some more before nodding.

"Understood."

**AN: Yes, there shall be a sequel. I'm already planning out the storyline and everything! It's gonna be a while until I finally post it up, but there **_**will**_** be one. It'll probably start off a year or two after this last one. Hope you enjoyed it. Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, alerted, and favorite-d this story.**


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